Thanksgiving Thoughts

So I  was sitting here today feeling a bit sorry for myself.  The creeping crud that I have been dealing with this month has kept me home bound.  I am feeling better than I did, but not well enough to go out.  My children and grandchildren are together eating turkey and talking and laughing and I am here.  Alone.  Poor me.

And then I got to thinking about all that I have to be thankful for.

I have a roof over my head and I can still afford to pay rent on it.  There is heat flowing out of the registers on my floors.  I have a bed with clean sheets and quilts to keep me warm at night, a pantry full of food and an oven in which to bake my bread.  I wonder how many are without those things today.

I was blessed with four children who, with just a phone call, would be here and have been here in the past to help me if I need help.  I work at being as independent as possible, but it is a comfort to me to know that if things go all wonky in my life, they have my back.  I love them all, but I like them as well.  They have grown into adults that make me proud to be their mother.  Between them they have given me six grandchildren who are the lights of my life.

I am thankful to have had parents who taught me so many things that have helped me over the years.  Mother taught me the practical things - how to cook and preserve food, how to sew and how to do all the daily chores that need to be done.  Dad instilled in me a work ethic second to none.  He worked hard all of his life and I never once heard him complain.  He also taught me the value of laughter, for if you can't laugh at yourself or the absurdities of the world around you, then life is nothing more than drudgery.

My parents also raised me to have a strong faith in God.  There have been times in my life that this didn't seem too important to me, but it seems that the older I become, the more important it is to me to remember the teachings of my youth.  And more important, to do my best to live by them.

I am thankful that I have reached a place in my life where I am relatively happy.  That wasn't always so.  I have been lucky to discover that my happiness lies within me and not with others.  I can decide each morning whether I am going to spend my day being happy or grumpy.  I vote, for the most part, for happy.  Oh, I still rant about the injustices in our world and will probably continue to do so, for some things just need to be said.  But that inner peace is what keeps me going, and I am thankful to God for it.

So instead of wallowing in self pity, I have thawed out a chicken, stuffed it and it is roasting in my oven, filling my little apartment with delicious smells.  A small casserole made with squash I canned this fall is ready for the oven.  One of my daughters brought me a pail of ice cream a couple of days ago, and I will whip up a batch of chocolate sauce to go with it for dessert.  And I will think about my children and grandchildren who are together today as a family, and be thankful that they consider family important.

And I will wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving Day.