Thankful

The girls both brought home little Thanksgiving projects from school depicting what they are most thankful for.

We are really raising Adrienne right...she is most thankful for her beloved Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Thanks, Disney. 

Jillian's is a bit more contemplative...family, animals, friends, school, and Mrs Dyer. Way to suck up to the teacher, kid.

My list of thankful is long; too long to hammer out on the computer this morning (I do have a turkey to prep and get in the oven, after all)--but, I believe I can articulate one of the most important sources of gratitude in a little story from the other night before I don my protective gear and get up to my elbows in raw turkey...

I have mentioned that Adrienne is having some trouble sleeping these days. Bad dreams abound, and the child is just petrified. She is beyond reason when she wakes, and her whole little body trembles as she screams, shouts, and cries freely about things like aliens, trolls, and monsters. It's been well over a week since we've had a solid night's sleep around here. On Tuesday, Adrienne really just refused to go to bed. After I tucked her into bed, she persisted in coming out of her room, crying that she just was too scared in her room. Scared of her dreams. The poor kid knows that when she goes to sleep she will likely have dreams, and she is sincerely afraid that they will be bad ones. I'm usually really good at sticking to my guns on bedtime delays, but it's hard when I know she's legitimately scared. The new special nightlight she selected at Target that day wasn't doing the trick. So, I racked my brain and asked Jillian to go into Adrienne's room and read her a story, thinking that would calm her down and she would be distracted from the scared thoughts. I sat out in the office and listened to her read, and then I heard, "Adrienne, it's time for me to go to my room and you need to go to sleep. OK? I'm going to pray for you". And then I heard the sweetest little prayer, asking for protection from scary dreams and bravery. It brought tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart to hear Jillian pray for Adrienne--both that she thought to try something to comfort her sister, and that she went straight to God with her strategy. So while this was a precious heartfelt attempt at calming Adrienne, the struggle continued. I went into Adrienne's room and listened to her sob about worrying about bad dreams coming into her room from her window, and on and on and on, and I thought about how tired I was, that I didn't feel up for this battle tonight of all nights, and I thought about how tired SHE was and looked, with dark little rings under her eyes. And then, Jillian appeared at the door. "Mom. I have an idea that I think will help Adrienne. I don't want her to be scared, and I don't want her to be sick on Thanksgiving because she isn't sleeping very well. I think she might feel better if she sleeps with me. Can she sleep in my room tonight?" My eyes filled with tears as I listened to her heartfelt solution and watched the wave of relief come over Adrienne's red, tear-stained face. I did not hesitate to say yes for one second. As Adrienne moved her pillow and stuffies to Jillian's room, I pulled Jillian aside and told her how proud I was of her, and what a wonderful sister she is. She hugged me and then casually added, "And besides, Mom. There's no school tomorrow. This is the perfect night for a sleepover." And it was. I tucked my two girls into Jillian's room (Adrienne on the blow up mattress on the floor), listened to them read a couple stories, and then heard silence 10 minutes later. Sweet relief for us all on a night when it was truly needed. So, there it is--a perfect example of what I am so, so thankful for--the relationship between my girls, and between my girls and God. I pray that they will always look out for each other and offer to help when the other is in need, that they will find trust and comfort in each other, and that they will go straight to God with everything. Everything. I also pray that they won't continue to conspire against their mother and secretly hide in the pantry eating candy when they wake up after their sister sleepovers like they did yesterday morning...but that's another story. Little turkeys. Happy Thanksgiving to all.