Thanksgiving!

I feel that I must do the obligatory blog on Thanksgiving, not that it’s hard to do, but it can get rather sentimental and dull.  Regardless, here is my attempt at expressing my thankfulness.

There are so many things I’m thankful for, some more serious than others.  I’m thankful that last night, when Callie Grace went to bed at 7pm, Philip suggested we lay down for a few minutes.  I slept until 7:30 this morning, with the exception of a brief hour interlude where I ate oreo cookies and milk and watched a Sherlock Holmes episode with Philip at 3am.

I’m thankful for my wonderful, beautiful, bizarre children.  I’m thankful that I love the Michael W. Smith version of Jingles Bells, and therefore did not want to bash my head against the window when I was forced to listen to it about 20 times in a row in the car today on the way to Philip’s brother’s house.  Well, I wasn’t forced, but who could resist Callie’s enthusiastic singing and her loud proclamation of “Once again!” when the song is over?  Not I, and certainly not Philip!  Callie played so well with her little cousin Logan, except for the one time when he tried to take her hockey stick from her, and she made an illegal hockey move by hitting him in the head.  In all fairness, his was an illegal hockey move too.  Obviously she did not get her sports skills from me.

Justus smiled and played, tumbled around, ate and babbled, and when he had enough, he spread himself out on the carpet and just laid there for a good 15 minutes, wide awake, just chillin.  He totally got that from me.

And then of course there’s Philip to be thankful for, but no words could sum up what I’m thankful for regarding him and our marriage.  I try and try, and fail, to express my love and adoration for him.

And in random order, here are some other things I’m so very thankful for: family – both the fairly normal and the crazy ones,  music, books, Starbucks, gift cards for books and Starbucks, the kind of laughter where you think you might completely make a fool of yourself, making a fool of yourself, friends that really get you, pie, chocolate, forgiveness, Christmas Vacation, being spoiled by Philip, emails, the fact that I’ve accepted that I live in a place where there is actually a lion season, watching Sherlock Holmes at 3am, breakfast pastries, sleeping, sleeping babies, my DVR, finally recognizing and embracing my own eccentricity, Philip’s dance moves, Callie’s dance moves, Justus laughing himself to sleep, those rare moments when you really, really get the mystery and majesty of God and you want to cry and laugh at the same time.  This list could get long and boring (some of you are saying “It could?” sarcastically.  I know who you are.)  ((Not really)).  There are just so many things to give thanks for, even the things that bring pain.  I’m trying to be more intentional in giving thanks for what I have, and in teaching my children to do the same. Which means I have to cut back on the whining and self-pity, and I must say I’m getting better at that.  Today when I discovered that Starbucks was closed, I had a very brief meltdown and reminded myself it will be open tomorrow.  See, progress.

Happy Thanksgiving!