Thanksgiving

It's that time of year again. Turkey and football; pumpkin pie and family gatherings.

This year will be a low-key Thanksgiving. The North-South game in the morning and one of the sister's for dinner later in the day. It will be small this year just my family and hers. Sometimes we stay home and enjoy the peace of a holiday together and sometimes we go full on super-size and see everybody. Maybe we'll do that next year.

The Thanksgiving's of my youth are legendary. Family showed up early and stayed late - sometimes for days. There always seemed to be plenty for everyone and no one complained that they hadn't had enough to eat. As we got older, boyfriends were added and meal times gave way to the realities of blending even more families into ours.

This year as I start to think about the thanks part of the holiday, I'm happy to report that we have a boat-load to be thankful for this year. For starters, we are in a much better place this year than we have been the past few. The past few years saw family illnesses creating uncertainty among the siblings. I’m happy to say that everyone is recovering nicely and is expected to continue to be royal pains for the foreseeable future. Pat has found steady work in his chosen profession and he's busier than ever. I’m thankful that I get to see him doing what he loves.

I’m thankful that our new grand adventure is going well and without much drama. (Quick, knock on wood!) The commute is a pain but Emma is thriving in her new school and Dylan has become more mature and self-confident. It’s a bit of a strain on Pat and me but we know it’s finite and that we’ll be annoying each other on a full-time basis before we know it.

I’ve always described myself as an optimist with realist tendencies which means I look on the bright-side but I’m not surprised when things go wrong. I explained it to a friend recently like this: I’ll leave my purse unguarded near an acquaintance since I trust that the majority of folks are good and decent; if they’re not, they’ll only steal my money once. Besides, I never carry cash so too bad so sad for them.

I can’t be any other way. It’s my default.

Pat, during the height of our financial struggles used to say, “We could have more.” To which I would reply, “We could have less.” I’d rather look at what I have and be thankful rather than look at what I’m missing and feel like something is lacking. There is always someone that has it worse than me and I find it hard to complain about what’s missing when I have all the important things: Family, friends, health, and hope.

What more could anyone need?

Leave a comment and let me know what you're thankful for this year.