Day of Thanksgiving

I am sure there will be a million blog posts today, all about what we are thankful for, the bounty in our lives, the food we will eat later etc. So, in the spirit of conformity, I decided to do the same. I pulled each of our family members into the room, one by one, and asked them all the same question: If you could tell God "Thank you" for something in your life, what would it be?" This question of course is a bit harder for the twins to grasp, but they still did pretty well with it. I know for Tom and I, this year will have some very basic necessities on the list as there are so many families who are having to find their way this year, with out the certainty of the necessities.

Harrison was the first to visit for his interview. He answered this same question Tuesday at school, I will have to save his answer so his brother and sisters some day can give him a hard time that the family dogs were listed first while they were at the bottom, maybe it had been one of those mornings? Harrison said this morning he is thankful for "My family, my toys, my food, school and my friends" Really, in the grand scheme, those are all necessities and basics of living for a 7 year old boy!

Nick had a very quick answer, which was totally a Nick answer: Noodles, just noodles (or, as Nick would say: Noonas, just noonas"

Abby was a little embarrassed and put on the spot: "I am thankful for my pets, Nana, Grandma Kay and our whole family, all our cousins and friends and "stuff."

Millie has a very limited vocabulary this year, but I know those wheels are turning more than we would ever know right now. I could tell she wanted to spout off some profound speech about all the blessings in her life, instead she tried to climb up my shirt to nurse, so, I think it is safe to say that Millie is thankful for the boob.

Tom: "I am thankful for my family and for the angels among us."

So, in closing, I would like to say that I am thankful for the fact that we made it to another Thanksgiving, healthy, blessed and content with all God has given us. It is easy to look around and see people who have more, who have a bigger house, drive a nice car, have more wiggle room in their budgets, but they have their own struggles, ones we may never know and ones we may never want! I am thankful for the opportunity I have to stay home on a daily basis and be the Mom to my kids that I want to be. I am thankful that I am the one who is there when the get out of school, wake up from a nap, spill their milk at lunch, scrape their knee while playing at the park or just need a hug. I am thankful for my husband, who is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make that dream happen for me, and our family. I am thankful for my mom: she lives right across the street and plays a daily role in the kids lives. I am thankful that despite her health, she is still here with us. Thank you Lord for the time we have with her, it is truly a blessing and one we probably take for granted too often. I am thankful for our 'necessities' and the fact that we have a roof over our head, we have cars we can rely on to get us where we need to be, for food in our pantry and freezer, clean running water that we can drink or bathe in, and the safety and security that our country offers. I am thankful for our pets, although they do drive all of us nuts sometimes, I think our children will grow up to be better adults, more compassionate and whole for having the opportunity to share their childhoods with the dogs and cats, someone to snuggle up to when they are in time out, someone to play ball with them when no one else wants to go outside and play, someone to teach them about forgiveness when they snatch the last cookie out of their unsuspecting hands.

The list goes on, and on. Right now I need to practice my thankfulness and go be thankful for the shower and for my roaster oven, in other words, I need to take a shower and cook the turkey!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, maybe your bellies be full and your hearts be warm!