Yesterday was Nov 1. I planned to Start off the month by writing my first ‘Thankful For’ blog post. But as often happens, my day blew up. We found our second slab leak in 10 months. We haven’t even finished putting the house back together after the first slab leak and now we have to begin tearing the house up again to fix the second. And this time, just a few short weeks before Thanksgiving and the holiday season, the leak is in the kitchen.

My kitchen, the center of the home, is about to be torn apart. I’d be lying if I said I handled this news well. There may have been tears. Anger. Even a little despair. Sounds overly dramatic, I know. The last slab leak disrupted our lives so thoroughly that I can’t imagine beginning the process again. The last time this happened we lived in our camper for 142 days. That’s pretty much the whole holiday season for those of you counting, if we have to do that again now.

So, it seems today of all days, this first (or second, just hush) day of November, it’s time to ‘take some of these thoughts captive and make them obedient’ so to speak. I will count my blessings because even in the midsts of this house nightmare, my blessings are many. And I need to train my mind to focus on them. Not on my circumstances. (Which I think are about to get pretty unpleasant.)

The last year has been hard. It’s true. We bought this house that was completely remodeled and ready to move in to, easy-peasy, no work required just over one year ago. We have spent the vast majority of that year not living in the house while it was torn up and being repaired, and it looks like we’re about to do that again.

I am frustrated and upset but I will chose to count my blessings this month. Every day. because how can I not? They are so many.