GIVING THANKS

I am thankful for time with my family – Well, that ain’t happening.

I am thankful for – I have never had trouble putting together a list of things I am thankful for, but I sure am this year. 

Last year I used some interesting Thanksgiving facts and wrote:  Thanksgiving is like all holidays.  It is a combination of history, traditions, and memories.  Above all, Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks.  Or maybe, just maybe, every day is a Thanks Giving day!

On Thanksgiving 2019, no one could have imagined what Thanksgiving 2020 would be like.  But I will be thankful!  I will!  I will…try.  Here goes.  I am giving thanks for:

Clothes – I really purged my closet last year.  I purged it prior to Covid!  Not great planning on my part.  That means if you saw me wear it last year, you will see me wear it this year.  I am not purchasing clothes I cannot try on and cannot return.  But, do I need more clothes?  No.  I am thankful for the clothes that will keep me warm this winter.

Toilet Paper – Honestly?  You thought I wouldn’t put that on my list?  How crazy is it that we could not get toilet paper?  I understand this is happening again.  This leads to being thankful for all the truck drivers who are supplying our stores with said paper.

Cooking – I do know how to cook.  Are you thinking, “So you can cook?  That doesn’t make you special.”  No it does not, but there are a whole lot of people out there who do not know how.  Their cookbook includes carry-out menus and a list of their favorite frozen dinners.  Think how they must have panicked when restaurants had to close.  I bet they are giving thanks for carry out.

iPad – In my purse, turned off, is a flip phone.  I only use it when I go out of town.  BUT do not mess with my iPad.  That device connects me to the world.  I can google and find facts.  These facts give me information and – are you ready – information allows me to think for myself.  Facebook is – well, it is Facebook.  Norman Frog, on Instagram, is my alter ego and he has more friends than I have on Facebook.  Yup, I give thanks for my iPad. 

Jigsaw Puzzles – There they are.  Pieces which need turned over and put together.  My mother worked them and I am carrying on where she left off.  There is such a rush when I see a tiny sliver of a color and know exactly where that piece belongs.  Piece after piece placed just so and WALLA!  One picture formed from the chaos of many pieces.  Besides, Bill likes me working puzzles.  I don’t talk much while searching for a piece that should jump right out at me.

Are you getting the idea of what I am giving thanks for?  No?  Life!  When the Thanksgiving dinner starts with everyone saying what they are thankful for, the list begins:  family, friends, home, health…..  Yes, I am thankful for all that!  But why do we only mention the “big” things in life? 

Sunrises and sunsets are fantastic, but the night sky is a miracle and the sound of a gentle rain can be such a blessing to dry fields.  Music stirs our soul, brings back a moment in time, and Sweet Caroline makes us want to turn the volume up, but silence allows us to hear the leaves swish and to hear God speak.  A tall waterfall is grand and breathtaking, but a creek allows us to get our toes wet and find rocks, worn smooth by the water.  The mountains soar and the waves come and go, but our own back yard is comfortable and familiar. 

I am posting this early and hopefully you will read it before Thanksgiving Day.  This year is a rough one and you might be wondering exactly what you have to be thankful for.  This year many traditions will be broken and it is hard to accept, but look around. 

A picture of a loved one – what if no one had invented the camera?  The light switch – what if we had a light bulb, but no way to turn it on?  A glass of wine – what if someone had not stomped those grapes? 

This Thanksgiving, sit in the middle of a room and look around.  I bet you will be amazed at the things you will find to give thanks for. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING