Category: Thankful Thursday

So I got seriously ticked off this weekend when reading a large adoption blog and forum that I frequent. The post was about this religious fanatic threatening the owner of the blog because she was the anti-Chirst. (eye roll) The owner of the blog said that her research showed her that the persons IP was from Massachusetts. Then this other person comments about how they were just “SHOCKED” that the religious fanatic would be from MA, they would expect that from the South or the Mid-West because there’s a lot of “bible-thumping” down there. I was SO irritated that the person would just indict millions of people in one fell swoop. That kind of stuff makes me crazy….like when people indict the whole South as being racist.

Really, can you be so ignorant as to not recognize that there are fantastic people everywhere, racists everywhere, bigots everywhere, religious nuts everywhere, compassionate people everywhere? I would like to know how the North East and the West Coast got a “pass” on having racist people or religious kooks? Do we forget that the Jonestown church was based out of San Francisco? This blog is not the first time in the last year that I have been faced with the whole, “Everyone in the South is a bigot thing.” Or the “Bible thumper” thing.

So today’s TT is in honor of all things Southern that are good and that I have grown to love since moving here in 1990.

• Frito Pie.
• Corn Nuggets. Essentially fried creamed corn. Oh my!
• Fried pickles.
• Men who open the door for women entering buildings.
• Men who tip their cowboy hats and smile when a woman walks past.
• Barbecue. The debate will always rage about what style is best, but I say it’s ALL GOOD.
• When a funeral is going by on a regular road people pull to the side and show respect.
• The many, many ways that y’all can be pronounced and used in a sentence.
• Sweet tea. Or half and half. Or half tea half lemonade.
• Bluegrass music
• Jazz
• That all types of soda are called Coke.
• Southern Hospitality.
• Chick-fil-A (born in GA)
• Any sign of snow or ice causes chaos on the roads. If a single snowflake falls, the city is paralyzed for three days and
  it’s on all the channels as a news flash every 15 minutes for a week. All grocery stores will be sold out of milk, bread, bottled water,
  toilet paper, and beer.
• “Fixin’ to” (I don’t use this phrase, but it cracks me up)
• Big Trucks. I am so used to this now that when I travel to other parts of the country I instantly notice that there are less on the road.
• Fried okra and cornbread.
• Parents jumping all over their kids if they forget to say “Yes, ma’am” or “No, sir.” And Mr. and Mrs. So and so.
• That people having guns for protecting their family and property is more readily accepted.
• Family get togethers are a food fest.
• How if you drive through a neighborhood, even if it’s not your own, people wave at you.

**Edit from Louanne – Ruth Ann’s post had me laughing that I mentioned all that food and didn’t mention Tex Mex. Mmmmmm Pappasito’s! And Half Price Books, my favorite bookstore that I forget got started here! Good stuff! I also wanted to say that all men in Texas don’t wear Cowboy Hats and ride horses. Mike was born and raised here and doesn’t own a hat, boots or a horse 🙂

I know that many from the South will say FOOTBALL, but I am not a sports girl and I don’t get the obsession. But that’s okay, it’s still part of the charm.

Now, if you are from the South or visited the South, what are your favorite things that I might have missed?

• For my sister Tahni who is visiting with us this week. She hadn’t been up since a couple days after we got home from China and I was a jet lag zombie, so it’s nice to just have fun together.
• For the Kuchems who are in Mexico right now delivering gifts for our Operation Border Blessing church project. Mike and I went last year with Rachel K. and Bill M. from church and it was an amazing time and wonderful to meet the people in Mexico.
• For the Isaiah 55 ministries in Reynosa, Mexico who located the families for us to donate to. And all the work they do with deaf children in that part of Mexico.
• For all the new babies that have come into my friends lives this last year- either through birth, adoption or fostering.
• For the blessing of Christmas. It’s my favorite time of year anyway, but it was like a double blessing with Nadia this year.
• For the hilarious antics of Nadia. She is so funny and constantly amazes me with how much she understands.
• For everything working out for our trip to China in March! For those who don’t know we will be living in Beijing for one month attending language school. And YES we will be blogging from there. (That’s been a top question asked) Mike will be going to the school everyday. I will be having a tutor come 2 hours a day to the apartment where Nadia should be napping. HA HA.  Our apartment will be in university district of Beijing, but I don’t really know what that means since the city has 14 MILLION people. We are getting so excited to spend time in China and be around the culture. The adoption trip is just a whirlwind and you are traveling with a bunch of people to do a bunch of paperwork at a bunch of assigned places. So I am really excited about this adventure we are about to take.
• For Janis who will be our super house sitter while we are gone- what a RELIEF!
• For United offering such a good deal in March on airfare that we could upgrade and get Nadia her own seat. I know that we and the other passengers are going to be happy about that 🙂

As I gave Nadia her bottle this morning in the rocking chair I was reminded once again that you NEVER get that time back. I want to burn those times into my memory of her snuggled up against me, looking up as she has her bottle. Children keep growing and growing and you have got to enjoy them at every stage. I know that I will enjoy Nadia as she gets older and we can make crafts and bake and all the other fun things. But I told myself before we got her that I would enjoy each stage of her life….that I would never be one of those people who just wants their kids to just grow up. They are only little once and you have got to take the time to enjoy them. Is this viewpoint a benefit of watching others have children before me? Of waiting until we were married 12 years to have kids? Because we didn’t get to see her at all the first 9 months of her life? Maybe. Whatever the reason I am grateful to God that He has allowed us to have Nadia and enjoy all the things about her that are so sweet and wonderful.

Our life is completely different in every way, shape and form since Nadia joined our family, but it’s just as wonderful. We had a great life when it was just the 2 of us and now we have a great life as a family of 3.

• I am thankful that my sister Michelle was able to come and spend last week with us. It was great to see her having so much fun with Nadia.
• For the wonderful Christmas that we had. Most of Mike’s family was here from out of town and it was just great to see everyone. We spent Sunday with them and then Christmas day with my family for lunch.
• For Nadia doing the hand motions to Isty Bitsy Spider with me last night. TOO CUTE!!! This morning she had a toy in each hand and I asked her if she wanted to sing the song and she immediately dropped both toys and started doing the motions before I even started singing.
• For Nadia’s dance moves. She was cracking me up yesterday with her sweet boogie.
• For all the people that sponsored children with World Vision through me this year. Their lives have been changed in amazing ways because you chose to make a difference.
• For the KIDS HOPE program and the great relationships formed this year. We have had many kids move this year, but God is faithful and we trust that even the little time they had with their mentors made a difference.
• For our church and the ability to attend church freely without fear of persecution. Watching the Christians in Iraq get to return to Baghdad and celebrate Christmas out in the open for the first time in years was an amazing thing to witness this week.