Giving Thanks

Gracie and I talked today about being Thankful. We went through family members and thought about all the ways we were thankful for them. I know she is very young, but I would like to see her catch on to concepts like thankfulness and love for others.

I know my child very well, and I think that if she could communicate, her Thanksgiving list would go something like this: I am thankful for: Mommy & Daddy, Barney, Clifford, Po, Ice Cream, shoes, books, fruities, Grandma, Grandpa, Mariah, Mamaw, Papaw, Uncle Luke and Uncle Brian, Aunt Heather & Uncle Kenny, DJ, Ryan & Casey, Jessica & Sierra. Kids so often thank God for the things in their lives that they most cherish, and though many of the things on their lists are materialistic, I think that those "things" give them true enjoyment and they are truly thankful for them.

After thinking about it for several minutes here's mommy's list:
I am thankful most to God for giving me life and making me a wife and mother, I am thankful to Gracie for giving my life meaning, to Garren for loving me and putting up with me these past 6 years for better and worse, richer and poorer and poorer still, and sickness and health. I am thankful for Fisher-Price and Leap Frog and Baby Einstein and PBS for making parenting a little easier. I am thankful for Wal-Mart allowing me to be a stay-at-home mom by making families like ours be able to live well on a budget. I am thankful for friends, even though we don't talk much and aren't as close as we once were, they still seem to be there when you need them the most. I am thankful for Garren's job, and the fact that we have all the necessities we need and a paycheck every two weeks. I am thankful for family, and upbringing I received from them. I am also thankful for rainy days and the seasons and chocolate chip cookies. And for the women at Curves who help me every week with the courage to keep trying and to work harder to make a better and healthier me. I am thankful for my health and that I can get up every morning and sleep (almost) every night. I am thankful that I am an American and my daughter is an American and can live with many less fears than women and children around the world. I am thankful for my digital camera and the technology to share my thoughts and adventures with family and the world. And, I am thankful for the gift of another day with all my memories.

Our home is a happy and warm place to be, and I make it my job to remember every now and then, all the things that make it that way. We are truly thankful to be a family.

***Picture above is what I am most thankful for. Taken March 2003**

Share this post