Thankful

Image credit (here)

The holiday season is upon us, tomorrow is American Thanksgiving. 

I am thankful for attending my little sister’s wedding this past week end, and reuniting with my sisters from long ago.  These women are my sisters of my heart, we met 25 years ago and life has never been the same.  Through it all—the ups, the downs, the in betweens…they’ve always been there.  And collectively, our little sister who is twelve years younger than us, is as much as our little sibling as a ‘real’ family could be.  We’re so happy for her and her new hubby, and for all the joy and love and laughter that their wedding brought to our lives this past week end and for the future to come!  I am thankful for my chosen family, scattered across the united states, far from my eyes, but always in my heart.

I am thankful that tonight I’ll be busting out my mother’s and my grandmother’s Thanksgiving recipes and prepping for the big Thanksgiving feast tomorrow.  Since my mother is so far away and physically unable to travel, and my grandmother passed long ago, I feel like they’re with me when I’m cooking the big dishes, especially when my daughters eagerly help me crush up the pecans for part of the Thanksgiving day feast.

I am thankful for my two daughters, for their silliness and love and caring and eagerness to learn more about the world.  I’m thankful for bedtime prayers with them, for saying goodnight, and for waking up and sleepily putting their hair in ponytails for school.  I’m thankful for the way they help feed and care for our huge puppy G, and also how DD2 is carefully growing lettuce in her garden, every day checking the new sprouts and wondering how tall the seedlings will grow.  For DD1’s careful consideration between embarking on tennis and pursuing this instead of dance, or reading her favorite book, or texting with her friends on her iPod, shrugging off holding my hand in the parking lot, but then also asking me to tuck her in at night. 

I am thankful for my hubby, who accompanied me to DD1’s music recital the other night, shaking hands with the girls’ father and sitting with DD2, and being kind and supportive.  I am thankful for his love and kindness and for the seriousness that he wears his stepfather role, the seriousness that he takes on in providing for our family, and for the thoughtfulness and love he gives to me and the girls every day.

I am thankful for my job, even though it’s been a big pain in the a$$ lately with increased responsibility, lol, but on a more serious note, I’m thankful that I’m growing as a person who is consciously supervising staff and in trying to help others with new initiatives to reach out to the public.  And that through the craziness of all my personal life changes, my job has been there like a solid lifeline, allowing me to grow professionally at the same time giving me the means to support my little family.

I am thankful for my chosen family here where I live, for being able to celebrate DD2’s BFF’s birthday this coming week end by watching Moana together and having a girls’ sleepover, woot woot!

I am thankful that my neighbors aren’t mad at me (or at least they’re keeping it to themselves) for not taking down my cheesy Halloween lights, because I’m going to replace them with Christmas lights anyway, on Friday.  And I’m thankful we’ll be able to get our Christmas tree on Friday, too!

I am thankful for this moment right now, even though I’m going to have to rush out of work like a bat out of H E double hockey-sticks, because my after school care fell apart and five girl scouts are showing up at my house in a couple of hours.

I am breathing in this moment of thankfulness in a sea of craziness and storms.  Because at the end of the day, I am thankful for the love I have in my life—from my family and friends.  Each year, I really think it’s getting better, and I’m so thankful for that, too.