Thanks.

(I’m writing and posting this today because tomorrow I will have a house full of people I love and a 20 pound turkey to cook. :))

When somebody asks you what you are thankful for what do you say? I think people have this built in response mechanism that just lists off the obvious and expected answers. Health, life, love, dairy foods… But today those things seem like such blanket statements.

I am, for the most part, healthy and I am thankful for that. But what I really am thankful for is that I think I’ve found out what has been making me sick for the last six months. I’m thankful to know that after I eat something I’m not going to feel like all my internal organs are trying to violently mass exodus out the bottom end of my digestive tract.

I am thankful for my life. This has a great deal to do with my completely irrational fear of death, I’m sure. But doesn’t “life” encompass so much more than the fact that we’re still breathing? Life. Work, chores, laundry, cooking, morning coffee, shopping… All things I get to enjoy because I’m alive. I’m thankful for clean clothes. I’m thankful that I get off work at 2:30. I’m thankful that I inherited my daddy’s cooking gene. I’m thankful for all the little things that I seem to forget about in the grand scheme.

I am also very thankful for love. The love that has been the glue that’s held my relationship together. Because without it, I’m not sure where Ben and I would be today. And although I am very thankful for it, I’ve been neglecting it lately. I wish I could blame this on falling into a complacent life. That’s not it though because.. that’s not an excuse. There isn’t one. So I’m going to change that. Because I am very thankful for Ben. I’m thankful that he’s smart, and so extremely giving, and funny, and has magnificent green eyes. And I want to remind him everyday that he is The One.

Lastly, I’m thankful for having such a wonderful daughter. I’m thankful for toothless giggles. I’m thankful for Saturday morning wake-ups at 7:00AM to her smiling hungry face. I’m thankful for her willingness and want to share all her food with me. I’m thankful that she shattered my Sidekick2’s screen yesterday and not her foot instead. I’m thankful that when I yelled at her and was so angry I felt my blood pressure rise with volcanic intensity that she looked at me with tears welling up in her big blue eyes and said, “You still love me even when you’re angry, huh? I’m sorry, mommy.” I’m thankful that she knows and understands that even when I’m mad, I love her so very very much.

I’m thankful for all these things and so much more. And I hope that instead of thinking about this once a year, I can learn to start focusing on all these things every day. Positive. Energy.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.