Thursday's Thoughts: Giving Thanks

Thursday's Thoughts: a taste of what I'm thinking

One week until Thanksgiving.  I easily get caught up in the food and planning, but that's not really what Thanksgiving is all about is it?  Or at least not what it's supposed to be about. Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks.  Yet a thankful attitude should be present all throughout the year, not just around a holiday.  I'm going to try and be extra mindful of things I'm thankful for in this week leading up to Thanksgiving.

I can be sick of cleaning or thankful I have a house to clean, cleaning supplies and time to clean. (But if you're coming over don't expect too clean, just saying.)  The piles of half unpacked boxes from college overtaking the basement mean that I was blessed enough to go to college in the first place.  A tablecloth that's 6 inches too short makes me thankful for enough family to fill that long table.  Way too many ideas and recipes to choose from makes me thankful for fun and creativity as well as tradition.

A few years ago our relatives watched their neighbors house burn down the night before Thanksgiving.   I'm thankful for a home to fill with family.  One year I was in the hospital for Thanksgiving.  This year I'm thankful to be home with family.  Last week a 10-year-old boy who just had brain surgery here was killed in a car accident on his way to spend Thanksgiving at home.  I have so much to be thankful for.

There's plenty to be thankful or on a lighter note too.  I'm thankful I'm not a turkey.  I'm thankful for cozy blankets, warm tea and slippers on chilly days.  I'm thankful that I saw the stuff floating in my tea before I took the first sip and not after.  I'm thankful for sunshine, fresh air and the fact that it's really not all that cold out yet.  I'm thankful the election is over (what? I am.)  I'm thankful I caught the falling container of banana puree before it oozed all over the counter, doors and floor.  I'm thankful I've made some time to read books lately.  I'm thankful for the softer sheets I put on my bed last night.  I'm thankful for aprons, kneading and the aroma of bread baking.  There is always something to be thankful for.  And probably a little more too.

Food for Thought:  "Gratitude bestows reverence , allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world." -John Milton