Thanksgiving is the time of year to count your blessings. The problem is, most of us seem to get too caught up in cooking and decorating and rushing off to parties and pageants that sometimes we forget to stop and take a moment to slow down and enjoy the actual reason for the season. So what’s the reason for THIS season? Thankfulness! Here are 8 things that I’m giving thanks for this thanksgiving year.
1 Family
Yea, I’m stating the obvious. Duh right? But this year, family seems closer to my heart and a bit more vivid than years past around the holidays. I’m getting married in January and moving to North Dakota, which is quite a ways from my southern Kentucky home! And my soon to be brother-in-law is deploying to Iraq in two weeks. I also have a cousin who is leaving for the Coast Guard very soon. Our family is celebrating the holidays early this season so we will all be together, but I expect it to be a very emotional and memorable time for us all.
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2 Health
After watching some very dear friends fight cancer and go through some painful surgeries, I’m reminded just HOW wonderful of a thing you have if you have your health. And I do mean health in any form. Health in body, spirit, and mind. So many times we take our health for granted, but we only have one body and one life. If we lose the ones we have, there’s no replacement! So if you have your health this Thanksgiving, be sure to be thankful for it!
3 Good Food
So what would Thanksgiving be without the traditional foods that we all love? Turkey, stuffing, corn pudding, sweet potato casserole, rolls, green beans, pumpkin pie…you’re hungry now aren’t you? On a more serious note, there are plenty of others who may not be as fortunate as you and I don’t mean people in third world countries. Your neighbor down the street may be struggling to put bread and milk on the table, so if yours is overloaded, be thankful!
4 Our Military
I’ll admit I’m biased, just about every one of the men in my close life is in the military including my precious fiancé. But regardless, I still support our troops with my whole heart! We might not even have the freedom to celebrate Thanksgiving if it weren’t for our boys fighting for our rights day in and day out, so remember to be thankful for our troops this year!
5 Snow
You know, the soft, powdery, cold white stuff that falls every year about this time? Well, I think it’s magical! It’s not really officially the holiday season until some snow falls! I enjoy sitting inside and watching it fall more than I do actually playing outside in it, but both are fun of course.
6 My Computer
I just recently ordered a new laptop and I can’t wait for it to get here! Right now I share a computer, and it took a lot of scraping pennies in order to (finally!) buy my own. But now that I have, I’m so excited and I feel so blessed. I know there are others who have no computer period, shared or not.
7 Hugs from My Sweetheart
I love it when he comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me for no reason. Or when he holds me and everything gets better. Yes, I believe in fairy tales. And happy endings! And now that I’ve found mine, I won’t take it for granted. Remember to tell your sweetie that you are so glad you have him this year at Thanksgiving!
8 Warm Blankets
Come on. It’s the little things in life, right? I get so excited over the small things! When it’s nippy outside, there’s nothing like a fuzzy warm blanket on your bed to lift your spirits! I just bought the softest blanket ever yesterday and now I wish I could give one to everybody in the world because I’m sure it would help with world peace or something!
Don’t take your blessings for granted this year. Take time to enjoy the little things! Tell your loved ones how much they mean to you. Remember, we don’t have the promise of tomorrow. And what better time to share your thankfulness than at Thanksgiving, right?
