Thanks

Kate is hosting a blog carnival called The Madhouse each Wednesday and I am playing along.  On the internet, as in real life, I am late to the party…because if you are paying attention today is Saturday, not Wednesday.  What can I say?  Life often gets in the way of my best intentions, but I don’t think it is ever too late to show up. 
If I were to create a bulleted list of all the things I am thankful for in my life, the length of it would surely stretch all the way around the world and then some.  Because really: living here, in this town that I love, with these people that fill my life with goodness, with a warm house and plenty of food and no war directly outside of my door – there is nothing to not be thankful for in my life.  There are things I pine for, there are things that would make my days easier and my life more fulfilled, but I have enough.  There are surely many things that I worry about, but all of my needs are met daily, and that is enough.  And I am thankful.  Oh, so thankful. 
But this week in particular there are a few things for which I feel I ought to say an extra special thanks:
1. It started with my cough, then my ears filled with fluid, then my throat hurt like hell.  Then Emma didn’t seem to hear anything we said.  Then Brendan had a high fever for many, many days…his rattling chest and whole body shivers were scary, to say the least.  We cancelled Thanksgiving plans, we hunkered down.  We all visited the doctor: three ear infections, possible strep throat, and pneumonia.  Today, the three of us (sans Harry, a.k.a. The Last Man Standing, who has been shipped to Pie’s house for a grandma date/wearing out session) are snuggled together in the family room, sipping tea, enjoying the restful, quiet house, and taking our various doses of healing meds.  And so today, I am grateful and thankful for the invention of antibiotics.  I am thankful for easy breathing, in and out, in and out.  I am thankful for ears that can (almost) hear clearly and throats that can swallow without making us cringe. 
2.  We’ve all heard that tensions in Asia are rising.  The country where my children were born has come under attack and we all sit on pins and needles waiting to see what will happen next.  We pray for peace, for a solution between North and South that does not include war.  Whatever political feelings we have over the situation at hand, our kids have family in South Korea and we hope, more than anything, that they will be safe.  As selfish as this may sound, today I am thankful that my children are home, that I am not waiting for a travel call.  I am thankful for their laughter across the room, for the fact that they are safe within these walls, here.  And my heart goes out to all of those people who are not yet so lucky. 
3.  And lastly, as we head into the school-age years with our children, I am thankful for community.  I have come to realize that we cannot do this alone.  We need the lessons of those who came before us and the camaraderie of those who are walking beside us now to make this work.  Parenting is hard enough, but when you add the additional elements of transracial-international adoption into the mix there are many more things to consider, many more ways to fail.  So thank you to those who guide us, who share their stories so that we may learn.  This community, both online and in “real life”, gives me strength and hope and real working knowledge, all of which are necessary and priceless.
And so there it is: my personal shout out to antibiotics, having my children home, and the adoptive community at large.  Perhaps a little disjointed and random, but those are the things that make the top of my list today.