Thankful

We interrupt this Christmas season which gets longer every year to bring you a little holiday we call Thanksgiving. So, for a few days out of this week, please, drop your shopping bags, turn off the holiday music, forget about untangling the lights, and just spend time with the people you are thankful for.
We're headed to my mom and dad's house Wednesday and I'm practically floating with happiness. I haven't seen them since Spring Break. My sister and brother are there now. I haven't seen them since last Christmas. I'm thankful to get to see them.
I'm thankful for our traditions. I love Thanksgiving. We watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that morning (one day I'm going to be there in person!). We have a late lunch of turkey and dressing and rolls. And who can't be thankful for pumpkin pie? Then, the annual craft. My mom and I have gotten to where we do some sort of craft -- usually a holiday one -- every Thanksgiving. My sister and any other female relatives usually join in if they are there. It's our own little family traditions.
I'm thankful for my husband who keeps looking at me and saying, "I'll love you anyway," when I say, "What if . . ." I'm thankful for our own home, where we can paint walls and rip up carpet and plant gardens and have room to grow. I'm thankful for a good job where I can help kids see God through my actions and attitudes. I'm thankful for our friends who care so much that they pray for us and ask if we need anything. I'm thankful for our church family, who keep us sane while we're so far away from "home."
Most of all, I'm thankful for God and his love for me. It's been a hard year to remember that. I let the problems of my life (which really aren't that big compared to problems other people have) settle around me like a blanket and I just hold on to them so tightly that it's hard for the good things to get in, too.
This week, I'm going to try and do better to remember how blessed I am. But I don't want to limit it to this week only. This needs to be something I do everyday. I hope I'm inspiring you to do the same.