We are staying in Las Vegas for the holiday this year. This will the first time in 17 years that I am not traveling back home to California for at least Thanksgiving or Christmas. Wow - that makes me sound really old to have done anything for 17 years... I have missed Thanksgiving more often, just because when we were in college two days off wasn't always enough time to justify a trip home.
I decided to get the crew in on the action for this Thankful Thursday. I asked them each what they were thankful for.
Miles said, "I'm thankful for MYSELF! And. My parents (eye roll). I'm thankful for my house and for vegetables.
Claire said, "I'm thankful for my family, my siblings, my house, Heavenly Father, my school, my parents. I'm thankful for math, for Christmas, for the sky and for poetry.
Today I am grateful for this blog, the best journal I have ever kept. I can't tell you how many of my journal entries began with "I can't believe it's been so long since I've written..." before I started this blog in April of 2007 when I was pregnant with Claire. I love the books that I have printed from these posts - we are up to 3 pretty thick books now, and the kids love looking at the pictures and reading about themselves as babies.
I am grateful for a mom who is a journal writer and is my example for keeping a family and personal history. Before I went to college, she made me a photo album of pictures of me and my family since I was a baby, actually since I was in my mom's stomach. There is one picture of her at a baby shower before I was born. Before digital cameras, we really didn't take photos of everything like we do now, so there are fewer Kodak moments recorded. I really value those pictures.
I am also thankful for my faith and the eternal perspective that it can bring to difficult or challenging situations. Life can be tough sometimes, and it hands us more challenges than blessings it seems... unless we look for the things to be thankful for every day. I used to write down 5 things per day that I was thankful for - even if it was simply that I woke up that day, or that I saw one small cloud in the sky to help make a beautiful sunrise over the desert. I think I should go back to doing that gratitude journal - there is always time to "think to thank."
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