What I'm Thankful For

Today is Thanksgiving, a day when we traditionally gather with family and friends and share a large meal, often featuring long-time family favorite dishes: Aunt Margaret's green bean casserole, Cousin Carrie's buttermilk rolls, Grandma Jean's pumpkin chiffon pie. It's also a day when we think of the many things for which we are thankful. Many families even go around the table before dinner, reciting what they are thankful for. The list frequently includes things like family, health, a new job or promotion, academic success, a new baby or spouse. And those are all wonderful things to be thankful for. But sometimes we forget to be thankful for the many little things that are around us so often that we take them for granted. So this Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for all the many tiny blessings that fill every day of the year. 

Coffee. The smell of coffee in the morning, especially when my husband brings me a cup in bed (which happens approximately 360 days of the year), is one of the small great pleasures of my life.

My cats. The charming and silly antics of my cats, who are always happy to see me, are an endless source of amusement.

Books. Hardcover, paperback, Kindle, audible; purchased, borrowed from a friend, checked out of the library, acquired via the Libby app; fiction, nonfiction, biographies, memoirs, manuals. The written (and heard) words of another person transport me to another place and time, granting me a delicious mental escape from whatever is troubling or tiring me. Books are good for my soul.

Birds. Watching my backyard birds, especially those that visit my Bird Buddy, which allows me up close and personal photos and video, is my favorite way to start my day. Their vibrant colors, their bright eyes, their quirky behaviors, and their year-round presence connects me with the natural world around me and reminds me of the endless variety of wonders in God's creation. 

Wildlife. The animals that wander through my yard, including grey and red squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, deer, opossums, raccoons, skunks, rabbits, red and grey foxes, coyotes, feral cats, and various types of toads and frogs and salamanders and snakes. I love sharing my home with them (well, my yard, anyway).

 

The sky. The beauty of the night, with its moon, stars, planets, and meteors; the beauty of the day, with the sun and an endless variety of clouds. The sky is ever-changing and yet always familiar. It satisfies my need for both change and familiarity. 

Travel. I am privileged to have traveled extensively with my family, both within the US and overseas. I'm thankful that my children are excellent travelers who rarely complain and are willing to try new foods and experiences. I'm thankful for a husband who is an excellent planner and possesses a remarkable sense of direction, both of which are essential for efficient and safe travel. 

Food and drink. I'm thankful for the pleasures of food and drink in their endless variety. I'm thankful that not only do I have enough food for my needs, but I have delicious and different foods to keep my palate entertained as well as my belly full. I am thankful for the gift of preparing delicious food for family and friends, and also the opportunity to enjoy food prepared by others with more culinary skill and creativity than I. 

Fire. I am thankful for both its warmth, indoors and out, and its soothing, calming, hypnotic rhythm that relaxes body and soul.

Family talents. I'm thankful for my children's talents, and for the enthusiasm and dedication they show as they work to develop and hone their skills. I am thankful that they have skills that I share, and skills that are foreign to me. I am thankful that I have learned to appreciate both. 

Modern medicine. Without caring and gifted doctors and surgeons, compassionate nurses, and affordable and effective insurance coverage, I would be much less physically functional than I am. Without medications discovered by determined researchers backed by generous donors, I would be in constant pain. I am thankful for the many advances in medicine that allow me to live my life as I do. 

Lobster. And risotto. I know they're part of the whole "food and drink" thing, but they deserve separate mention.  

As does chocolate. 

Transportation. I have access to many modes of transportation: feet, bike, car, taxi, Uber, bus, train, airplane, ferry, cruise ship. I can get to places within a matter of hours that would have taken my ancestors (and even my grandparents) days, weeks, or months. 

Hats. I love wearing hats, and I love seeing other people in hats. I can feel blah and boring, but when I pop on a pretty, cheerful hat, the whole world looks prettier and more cheerful. Hats make me happy. 

Shoes. Fun shoes make me happy, too. 

Long-time friends. It's great to make new friends at any age, but the friends who've known you since you were a gawky tween or even an awkward child but still want to be friends with you? That's a blessing like no other. 

Live theatre. It's a very rare weekend when there isn't some production or other running within an easy drive of my home. Musicals, plays, concerts. And many gorgeous venues hosting them all. 

My family. This is both a big thing, and a little thing. These people are the delight of my heart and soul. Their presence in my life makes me happy. They bring me joy by their mere existence. And that is what I am ultimately thankful for on this day. 

I wish you all the presence of loved ones who bring you joy, on this Thanksgiving Day and on every day. 

Lent Photo a Day: Bless

One of my favorite times with my children is saying bedtime prayers with them. When they were quite small, our prayers consisted simply of a list of “God bless”-es: “God bless Bammy, God bless Pappy, God bless Auntie Susan,” etc. As they’ve grown, we’ve added thanksgiving, confession, praise, petitions, and a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, but we still always include a list of God blesses.

At first, the list was merely a recitation of the names of family members: grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Later, we added friends and teachers and neighbors and various other people in their lives. Soon, the kids began to tack on qualifiers, like locations: “Tatie Pauline in France,” “Uncle Steven far away on a ship,” “May-May away at school.” Once they were old enough to understand reasons for special prayers, the qualifiers became, “Ben who doesn’t feel good,” “Pappy who’s in the hospital,” “Vincent who has a broken arm,” “Thomas whose dog is lost.”

I think that asking God to bless our loved ones in good times and in bad is a good lesson for children to learn. But I would be remiss as both a Christian and a parent if I left it at that. It’s all well and good to ask for God’s blessing on behalf of another person, but that’s a secondhand blessing. It’s like saying, “Yo, God, you take care of this one, okay?” It’s handing off the problem to Someone else. I want my children to learn to not only ask for a blessing for others, but to BE a blessing TO others. I want them to grow into the kind of people who not only pray for a friend who’s sick, but who also bring them a care package and send them flowers and call to see if they need anything. I want them to be the kind of people who don’t just pray for your lost dog but who print up flyers and drive you around the neighborhood to hang them up. I want them to be the kind of people who pray for their friends to do well on an exam but also help them study. I want them to be the kind of people who actively look for ways to help those who are struggling, for whatever reason.

I pray that God will bless them by making them blessings.

Bless.