Thanks be to God!

This year, I feel like I am more grateful than I have ever been.  I've always had more than I needed as far as material things go, and that in itself is a blessing, however, this year I am so thankful for everything God is doing in my life.  I have said before how I never imagined I would like VA so much and didn't want to go anywhere, and now I love it here.  Besides being pleasantly surprised with how well I've liked VA and adjusted to (somewhat of a) military life, I am so grateful for the people I've met here.  It's awesome to have friends who are different than you and whose lives are not taking the same path as yours - that's what makes us interesting - but it also is very comforting in a time of so much uncertainty to have friends that are in the exact same boat and who can really relate to all the anxiety and other emotions that come with this lifestyle.  I am so grateful to have my husband here with me, as I know many of the wives have had to move back home or move ahead of their husbands while the men are at training camps all over the country.  Some of these men have or will get orders to deploy within the next month, and it makes me even more grateful to have another Christmas to spend with Matt and that we'll be able to go home and visit family.

I'm thankful that I have a job that I can do from home and that should I ever lose that job, we won't hurt financially.  Though I often worry about money, the truth is that we have it much better than some, and I have to trust that God will provide as he always has.  I tell Matt all the time how amazing it is that we have this nice, big home, and how I never imagined that we'd have anything like this so early in our lives.  While we don't own it, it is amazing to me that we are able to live here and can afford to.

I also have a new appreciation for our military this year.  I have always known the sacrifices they make, but when I listen to my husband and his fellow marines talk about our country and their view on the necessary sacrifices they have made or would make for it makes me realize how special these people are.  It makes me sad that there has to be war and that so many lives are lost or altered because of it, but I know that I don't want to live in a country without freedoms, and most people wouldn't.  It makes me even sadder that there are people that do not support our military.  You don't have to like war to respect the people that are willing to fight for YOUR freedom.  So, while that sounds like a mini-rant, the point is that I thank God that there are people willing to do the job of a military service member.

And I'm grateful that Stig is getting calmer and spending more time sleeping and snuggling in my lap :)