thankful thursday

A sweet fellow blogger and friend does a weekly post titled Thankful Thursday. She recently invited/challenged others to link up their own weekly posts of gratitude. Well, I rarely find myself blogging on Thursdays, but I made time for it today despite the millions of things I should be doing to get ready for our whirlwind road trip. So, here's some things I'm thankful for this week:

1) Our whirlwind road trip. In just a few short hours, we'll pile in the car and head slightly northwest to Chattanooga. Josh has family that lives in that area, and after deciding to take Good Friday off, we thought it would be a great opportunity to visit. Although it will be a little hectic because of a late Saturday night return for Easter Sunday, I'm thrilled about the opportunity to visit with family we haven't been able to see much of lately. We look forward to introducing Sam to several folks who haven't had the chance to meet him since a Christmas snow storm botched our annual holiday get-together. Josh's uncle is battling cancer, and may not have too much longer. What a special time to spend with him. One of Josh's cousins who lives in Brooklyn, will be visiting with his family. We'll get to meet the newest baby in the family, as another cousin just gave birth a few short weeks ago. Finally, we'll celebrate with a third cousin and his fiance at their wedding shower. It also means 3 straight days with my precious family. Josh doesn't take many 3-day weekends, so I want to relish this extra time together.

2) I get to see my amazing sister on Sunday! I haven't seen her in the flesh since August when she and her hubby left for Germany. We were expecting her home for a visit for a few weeks, but unfortunately the last few weeks she has been ill. She has gotten worse in the last couple of days and none of us feel her condition is being treated urgently enough on base...having to wait weeks for appointments with specialists, etc. So, the decision was made for her to come home and see if medical professionals here can get her fixed up. It's really a shame, because she has had to resign from her job there just so she can come home and get well. I hate the circumstances, but am thrilled to have her home for a few weeks! Now, I pray God will bring healing to her body.