Thankful Tuesdays: It could be worse

Last night the cough kept me up for the first part of the night (any natural remedies to recommend btw?).  As I tossed and turned and tried to sleep, the "glass half-empty" part of me was thinking that it could be worse.  Like how we were only sick after the trip, and not during.  Or how right now the most respiratory demanding thing I have to do is to keep up with the 20 minute bedtime lullaby routine... unlike previously, where when I had a cough this bad, it always meant losing my voice after a day of teaching (have you tried talking above the voices of 35 teenage boys, all excited about dissecting cow eyeballs?).

Then I was reminded how the pile of laundry waiting to be washed or folded just meant I had family around me.  Or how the long list of housework meant I had a roof over my head.  And that the dishes in the sink meant we had food in our tummies.  And after that everything didn't seem so bad after all.

So here's my thankful list for the week:

:: God's love, and the constant reminders in the Bible about how great that love is.

Butterfly spotted at the Taipei Zoo. :)

:: Butterflies.  Yes, they are pretty, plus, they pollinate flowers, so they result in fruits and seeds, and eventually new growth.

:: My mum, who helped out over the weekend so I could get some rest.

:: The hubby back safe from his overseas conference.

:: Togetherness: Little boy has been trying to use the german word "zusammen" (meaning "together") frequently.  He'd pipe up "Mama eating, papa eating, Juju eating, everyone eating together!  Zusammen!" during meals.  And yesterday, he climbed up on the chair next to where I was finishing my dinner (he had finished his, and the hubby was at German class), asked for some raisins and cheese puffs, and sat next to me and munched his food while I ate.  And of course, declared, zusammen!

:: Cool rains.  Its been raining quite a bit, but its been nice to stay in and read books to the boy.

What are you thankful for this week?  Do share!