Gratitude in the Face of Adversity

This morning I packed up the kids and headed out to my nephew's kindergarten graduation.  But on the way, my van died.  Completely dead.  Did I mention that my brother lives in a rural area so I was in the middle of nowhere and the road didn't even have a shoulder for me to pull over to?

As much as I would love to gripe about what a horrible experience it was, I know I have so much to be grateful for!


I'm thankful that my nephew invited us to the graduation.  I felt so honored.

I'm thankful that we own a van.

I'm thankful that our van only died, instead of getting into an accident.

I'm thankful that we were on a non-busy road.  I felt very safe.

I'm thankful that Hubby had a bad night's sleep and therefore stayed home to sleep in and therefore was able to come rescue us.

I'm thankful that the tow truck driver got to us in half an hour instead of the hour our roadside assistance service estimated.

I'm thankful that we have roadside assistance.

I'm thankful that the tow truck driver was able to find us despite my horrible attempts at describing where we were. 

I'm thankful that my cell phone battery was fully charged.

I'm thankful that while the reception was pretty poor, it was good enough for me to be able to contact roadside assistance, Hubby, and my sister-in-law.

I'm thankful that the reception was bad because having to loudly say, "You need to come pick us up!" over and over very effectively shifted my mood and the tears that were threatening to come went away.  If those floodgates had opened, it would have been all over!

I'm thankful that it happened in the daylight.

I'm thankful that I fed the kids breakfast on the way because the extra pancakes left in the bag I had with me were helpful to keep the baby occupied and calm.  Hubby was also in great need of some carbs after jumping out of bed so abruptly to come get us.

I'm thankful that there was a bit of a breeze on this hot day.


I'm thankful that my Heavenly Father knew where I was and what had happened.  I'm thankful that He kept us all safe and calm.  I'm thankful that He gave me this small trial to teach me patience and gratitude.