Gratitude

My friend Leslie sent me a care package this week (Thanks, Leslie!) including a gratitude journal based on Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts. Kevin and I sat down tonight -- after James was in bed and before Downton Abbey started -- to fill out the first pages. Our goal was to come up with the first fifty things on the list of 1000. We started out with what you'd imagine -- James, our family, our jobs, our friends, etc. -- then slowed down. I asked Kevin what makes him happy; the next three items on our list were "bucket garden, beer making, Costco." Costco. For real. We decided we have to hide the journal so no one will ever read it but us, because who wants to see their name on our list AFTER Costco? Ouch. ;)

In all seriousness, though, I was thinking this week about how thankful I am to be in Iowa City. It's no secret that I wasn't thrilled to move here. When Kevin got the job at UI, we had been in the La Crosse area for less than a year. It had taken us a while to make friends, find a church we liked, and get settled in to our little apartment; those things were finally happening, so I wasn't excited to leave. Kevin hated his job, though, and had loved Iowa City when he went to grad school here. He was thrilled at the possibility. I was looking forward to him being happy again, but not to start over.

Now, though? I'm so thankful we're here. On one of our recent visits to the hospital, Kevin and I commented that if we didn't live here, we'd have to take a day off of work every time we had a doctor's appointment. We are blessed to be so close to such a good hospital.

I'm also incredibly thankful for the size of the hospital. Earlier this year I was complaining about how big it is. Where I grew up, you parked in the parking lot, then walked into the doctor's office. Here, we have to drive up four floors of the parking garage, take an elevator down two floors, walk across three skywalks, go up another elevator, and then -- finally -- we can check in. Sometimes it takes as long to get to the doctor as to actually see the doctor.

But this giant hospital has its advantages: pretty much everything you need is here in one place -- even things you didn't know you needed -- and that was the biggest reason for my thankfulness last week. My last visit was just a normal prenatal check-up, but afterwards I spent some quality time with the hospice nurse we've been working with. Talking with her is so comforting. She reassured me that the two qualities she's seen help people get through losing a baby -- faith and humor -- seem evident in our relationship. She's also connecting us with another local couple who lost a baby a few years ago to Trisomy 13, and helping us set up an initial appointment with the counselor who works with parents going through issues with pregnancy.

It's a good practice -- keeping our thoughts on positive things instead of sadness. We're thankful for so much, including our sweet girl Maren.