Happy Thanksgiving!

If you asked me what my favorite holiday is, I probably wouldn't say Thanksgiving.  Not because I dislike Thanksgiving, its just not my instinctual answer.  With that being said, there's something special about Thanksgiving.  Perhaps its the cooling of the temperatures, the permission to begin listening to Christmas music, or the attitude of gratitude.  Something about Thanksgiving just makes me feel more centered, calm, and at peace with life.  Life can be hectic-did you know that?  :)  Its so wonderful to have a day where the focus can be on gratitude for what you have.  It can be easy to forget that in the midst of baking, cleaning, shopping, organizing, and paying 700 dollars to have your broken radiator fixed on your main vehicle.  So in order to find that center that Thanksgiving can bring, here are some things I am thankful for this year:

1. Jared.  He is my rock in a way I could never describe.  He knows every single thing about me and he still LIKES ME!  Now that is special.
2. Karianna.  I am so grateful for this beautiful 8 year old who is so responsible, so grown up, so sensitive, and so wonderful in every way imaginable.  I am grateful for our talks together, for the way she asks questions knowing she can trust me. That is so very important to me, and I am grateful we are fostering that type of relationship with her.
3. JD.  I am so grateful that JD still comes and gives me big hugs and literally asks if he can snuggle with me in bed.  I don't ever want that boy to change-he has such a special spirit about him and he makes my heart sing.
4. Jordan. I am so grateful for Jordan's infectious smile.  It is so hard to find him sad, and even if he is sad, you tickle him a bit and that smile, that laugh just erases the smallest hint of sadness.  He is such an inquisitive little boy, and his blue eyes just make me smile.
5. Sara.  If Jordan has an infectious smile, Sara has an infectious laugh!  I love how much Sara loves life.  She finds so much joy in the things that she loves.  She walked into my room today, hugged my leg, and said, "Mom I just love you."  I am so grateful for those sweet smiles and words of comfort-all from a 3 year old.
6. James.  My little superman on Earth.  I am so grateful for the resiliency and strength of James' spirit.  His zest for life is so apparent in every single thing that he does-long term, and by the minute.  This little boy never stops moving-and I love that about him. 

Oh, there are so many other things I could list.  I am grateful for a home to live in, jobs that help us earn an income in an unsteady economy, in laws that give without even thinking about it, a pool so I don't die of heat in the summer, overall health, good relationships with family, wonderful medical facilities and personnel, books, hot fudge. smiles, Christmas lights, Jesus Christ, our testimony as a family, hope in a world that grows more chaotic every day...Perhaps these things are just a bit more important than the things that too frequently trouble my heart. 

Be grateful.  Something to remember more frequently than 1 day a year. 

Happy Thanksgiving!