In All My Thankfulness...

Thanksgiving is not what it used to be.  When I was a little girl, you cooked, you ate, and then you lay stuffed like the turkey you'd just devoured.  You spent time with family.  You watched the parade.  And then, you put up the Christmas tree. This day was about family.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the need to save money, but I almost refuse to buy something that comes from a store that's on sale simply because it's supposed to save me money.  I mean who really needs a television every year? And what child really needs so many toys that we have to fist fight in order to get it. I guarantee you my friend, that toy will be bountiful on said child's birthday.

Thanksgiving has been eclipsed by Christmas.  Why?

We scramble around trying to find the perfect gifts for the perfect people in our lives.  But on this Thanksgiving day, are we really spending time with them?  I mean really?  It's not about the sales ya'll.  It's not about the food.  It's about remembering why we are here.  It's about remembering the reasons we love.  It would be loads less stressful if we could just show the people we love them by spending time with them, rather than rushing around trying to buy them a perfect gift for a holiday that hasn't even got here yet.

Today I am going to choose to just be thankful.
I'm thankful to know the love of Jesus, and his comforting hand in times of trouble.
I'm thankful for my mom and dad.  Without them, I wouldn't exist.  And further more, without them, I wouldn't know the love of Jesus, or how to make a marriage work.
I'm thankful for my husband, who absolutely snuck up on me.  And I am so glad he's mine.
I'm thankful for my children.  There was a time when I didn't even think I would meet them, and now they're here. And they are perfect with all their imperfections.
I'm thankful for my step dad, who brought my mom out of the dark.  I will forever be grateful.
I'm thankful for my in-laws.  There are times when I actually feel like a daughter instead of a daughter in law.  You have always been there for me. To help with the kids. To help with anything we need.  I will never forget the kindness and love you showed to me when my dad passed. I love you both.
I'm thankful for my close friendships. There are women in my life  that I can go to any time I need to talk, and I know they will understand. And that makes me feel incredibly blessed.
This just names a few.  I could go on all day, for whom and what I am thankful.  It makes my heart happy to to list all of the reasons I'm thankful.  And it's not a happiness that can be bought in a store.  So, my friend, just exactly what...or who...are you thankful for??