January in Texas...

... means I will hear myself talk as if in a tunnel for about three weeks and at some point will likely lose my voice (the kids always enjoy this). The Mountain Cedar has bloomed and my sinuses have taken a great offense to it, hence the strange-sounding, muffled and nearly absent voice.

I am striving to not complain, so I am making a list of things I can be thankful for during the cedar allergy season.

1. That there is no choir this month since it would be embarrassing to have to sing with the basses.
2. For my extra cuddle time with the kids as I put on a movie in the mid-afternoon to rest.
3. Benedryl, as that is my only defense to this onslaught of pollen.
4. Hot tea, so very soothing to my scratchy, post-nasal drip throat.
5. Loosing my voice which always reminds me to be more sweet and gentle when I talk to my children.
6. Kleenex, the softer the better.
7. Chapstick and Burt's Bees lip balm for my poor chapped lips.
8. That God designed man to not only breath through his nose but also his mouth, otherwise I would be dead.
9. That February, and hopefully the end of cedar blooming season, is only a couple of weeks away.
10. That God has shown me what I can be thankful for even as I gasp for air and try not to succumb to the throbbing in my face and head.

There you go... happens every year... maybe I will mark this post and re-use it the same time next year. :)