Giving Thanks

Here it is, Thanksgiving evening, all is quiet - well, except for the occasional cat growl, hiss, and/or whine, depending on which of the 7 felines currently residing here is expressing their dislike of something that one of the other of the four-legged creatures has done around here....Sara isn't here right now, so it can't be her fault!!!

Today, like many of the two most major holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas, in my world) I found myself headed south - to the family farm, where my grandmother, our Grammy still lives....even though today she is on the acute rehab until of the hospital recovering from her broken hip. I found the all Christmas music, all the time local radio station (quite by accident) and that music was playing softly in the background.

As I barreled down I65 my brain was something of a movie reel, recalling those hundreds of times I've made this trip - car trips when I was just a little girl; how my brother and I use to make sport of 'picking' at each other for the entire trip making our parents crazy; how we use to have to drive down US 31 until the 'interstate' was built; remembering the last Thanksgiving my mother went to Columbus, her very last Thanksgiving was spent in a hospital; remembering the last Thanksgiving Dad was alive - it was right after finding out he had multiple metastatic brain tumors, and I remember what an unusually quiet trip it was that day - we all knew (in our hearts) this would be Dad's last Thanksgiving with us.....the next thing I knew it was time to 'cut across the country side' on the rural roads to get to my grandmothers - and the corn fields were picked, and most plowed, and there were a couple of fields where the winter wheat is beginning to peek through....and I remembered some of Dad's agronomy tutorials - during the many trips we made across those roads.

All this to say, the real essence of Thanksgiving became clear to me - all that I have to thankful for, and the richly blessed life that I am allowed to live. Really, I have very little to complain about, though I can usually find something at least once a day....which isn't something I'm proud of.

The last 11 years or so have taught me that the most important 'things' in life, really aren't 'thing's or the 'stuff' I have - what really matters are those that are priceless. The list isn't exhaustive, to be sure, but here is the 2009 edition of what I'm thankful for...what is really important in my life:

- God, and living in a country where I am free to worship and express my faith
- having parents who often loved me in spite of myself, and taught me what 'family' is, and means
- parents who may be gone physically, but, whose lessons I still seem to be learning
- a husband who died too young, but taught me what love is, and the deepest love is often difficult
- CJ and Amy
- Sharon and Rob
- the triplets, Kelli and Beaux, and Tony
- Sara Hope
- my large extended family, especially my grandmother and aunts and uncles
- my very smart, funny, and loyal friends
- my step-children and their spouses
- amazing grandchildren
- the gleeful laugh of an almost three year old
- Tinkerbell and the joy 'she' brings to a little girl
- living in a place where I get to enjoy the changing seasons
- living in a country where I can speak my mind, express my thoughts, and move about as I choose
- having a warm, safe, comfortable home to live in...that will be getting 'bigger' soon...hopefully!
- living in a time and place where medical care is accessible and the quality is good
- the opportunity to learn something every day
- laughter - especially in challenging and 'difficult' situations
- cardinals and how their bright red color brightens even the bleakest fall or winter day
- every day, really God's daily gift

I like to think that daily I am a grateful, thankful person - but somehow, Thanksgiving brings it in to sharp focus for me...and though it does sound corny, really being thankful needs to be something I'm more intentional about, everyday.