So much to be Thankful For

I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 69:30

I am writing this on the morning of Thanksgiving Day, while the rest of you are probably eating your Thanksgiving Eve dinner (pizza, right?). In a way, this is a monumental holiday for Zac and me. It is our first major holiday as a married couple, and maybe more importantly, our first away from home and family. For me, Thanksgiving jumped from location to location around Texas every year (usually Corpus, Dallas, or Houston). So I was never accustomed to a "traditional" Thanksgiving, simply because it changed every year. But we were always around family, whether that be extended aunts and uncles (and in my family, there are plenty of those) or our immediate family or over at the Cooks' house. The most rich and blessed part of the holiday was being around those we love.

Now, halfway around the world, we are building a new family. Not only the "Jena and Zac Cook" family, but a network of dear friends that will carry us through the next three years, and no doubt beyond that. Sure, it's hard to be away from family and home town friends. But, I am so thankful for the relationships that are growing here.

This is the time of the year where we all sit down for a few minutes, let the world sit still in our lives, and think for what we are thankful. I thought about this the other day while driving (on the left side of the road, of course). Every part of our lifestyle can be attributed to living in such a wonderful country, a country rooted in the very thing we are celebrating today. Thankfully, there are thousands of men and women committed to protecting all that we have. And they have families that support them at home and at war. There are families giving much more than Zac and me. I've met so many wives who have been through multiple deployments, celebrated several holidays by themselves, moved 3 times in 3 years...and the list goes on. To me (and certainly not because I'm in a military life), the families make as big a sacrifice as their military dad(/mom).

I am also so very thankful for friends and family, old and new. The past year has been one of MUCH change for me, and I have been so blessed with such wonderful and rock-solid friends and family to support me through it. And it's only growing...two beautiful new nephews this year, many new friends, a new family-in-law...all of you have made our lives infinitely more rich. And we are so thankful for you.

To end, I'll end with something my mom always reinforced. Our happiness has been overflowing, but sometimes things are just hard. I'm thankful for those challenging times. (As my mother always said...) "it's character building." They have/still are shaping us into a resilient, strong family. And while I'm am not thankful of the situation then, I am so thankful for what it is making me.

I love you all and I hope you have a most blessed Thanksgiving, full of smiles, hugs, family, and friends. And pie. We'd love to hear from you, so Skype or call!