9 Days to Gratitude: a Thanksgiving Novena {Day Six}

For those of you just joining in, this is part of a series on cultivating gratitude in preparation for Thanksgiving. You can see Day One here, Day Two here,  Day Three here, Day Four here, and Day Five here. 

Day Six

Today I am grateful for our Church community.

For some reason, I am feeling grumpy today. Mr. D decided to skip his morning nap, which is never a good sign. Then, during Church, all he wanted to do was be on the floor, so he could crawl around. Andy and I took turns taking him out when he started squawking. By Communion, we were exhausted, and decided to leave early so we could get Mr. D down for a nap. Sometimes Most of the time it's hard to be be an adult, especially an adult with small children. 

The funny thing is, when we were deciding on which parish we would join, one of the factors in our parish's favor was all the children. The number of families is a strong indicator of the strength and life of a church. Even on the hard days, like today, we feel the support and warmth of the other families, who we know have been in our shoes. We feel blessed to have found such a strong, welcoming Church community. 

Our involvement with our church has introduced us to so many dear friends. We have enjoyed the camaraderie of other young adults and married couples, the wisdom and experience of older parishioners, and the celebration of both the seasons of this life and the liturgical year. We have found a home  and a family here.

A very special day, Mr. D's baptism.