Some days things just happen, beyond your control.  Sunday was one of those days.  We had our niece and nephew staying with us, as their mom was at a women's retreat, hosted by our church.  As per regular Benjamin woke up around 6 AM and so we all had an early breakfast.  I felt pretty productive as I managed to wash two loads of laundry (and hang on the line one) before heading off to church.  Ivan got the car washed and we managed to keep all the kiddos in check (sort of) for the service.  Our friends from the young professionals group at church sang Happy Birthday to Ivan (his birthday was Nov 17th) and even gave him some cake!  We received some difficult news from a family member and were wrestling with that while en route to the house we got caught in a torrential downpour.

In our little town, it was not only raining but also hailing.  We soon realized that the roof (which has been repaired several times) was still lacking because the master bedroom was leaking (in the closet, on the bed...).  The laundry room was full of mud and ice and foliage.  The storage room (where we have TONS of young life materials) was also full of mud and ice and one section looked like a swimming pool (a very dirty one).  It's kind of one of those moments where you feel a bit overwhelmed and think "Where do we start?"  Well, I started with the stinky diaper Benjamin was exhibiting.  It was then that he discovered that while my one hand was holding his legs, and the other wiping, his hands had free access!  So he quickly reached down and to my horror grabbed the mess and proceeded to swear it all over his face, laughing and smiling because apparently me yelling "Noooo Benjamin!" seemed like a fun game.  Needless to say, we've had better days.  

Let's not forget the laundry which had been hanging so beautifully in the sun that morning was soaked through and through.  It was not how I expected to spend my evening and following days but sometimes plans just need to change.   So the following days, with thanks to friend of ours, we got in contact with some workers to come and redo the roof.  Turns out we had a whole family (and extended family) of rats hanging out up there and took quite some time and effort to clean up all of that and then get to the business of creating a permanent solution for our roof situation.

Since this all happened leading up to Thanksgiving, I was acutely aware of how I could see the situation two different ways.  With a complaining attitude or a thankful heart.
Here's what I'm thankful for:

-We have flexible hours for work and were able to be home and deal with the issue at hand
-It was only PART of the roof.  Most of the house was totally fine.
-Nothing (from what we can tell thus far) was damaged from the water
-Most of our YL stuff is stored in plastic containers and therefore protected the materials from any water damage
-We actually didn't have any Thanksgiving plans so we were free to be at the house as the workers finished up
-Benjamin was thoroughly entertained watching the workers
-Special cousin time
-A husband who does things thoroughly
-Good health
-Sunny mornings
-Fall scented candles
-Pumpkin spice
-Hot showers
-Laughing with old and new friends
-Video calls with family
-Thanksgiving celebration with our small group from church

We are so blessed by this small group and the love and joy shared between us.

Retreat with other US women doing YL in Latin America

Monkey time!