I am sure you have noticed several “I am thankful for…” posts around the blogosphere. It is that time of year and by most standards I am arriving to the “I am thankful for…” party late.
I have been thinking a lot about what I am thankful for. Really I have a lot to be thankful for. Simply stated, my life is good. Even with the ups and downs life tosses our way I live a happy and comfortable life.
I don’t have to worry about how I will feed my family tomorrow or next week. I don’t have to worry about where we will find the money to pay our mortgage. I don’t have sleepless nights sitting next to my child’s hospital bed.
Our needs our met, our bodies are well nourished, we have a roof over our heads and we are all healthy. What more could I ask for?
I know that the point of Thanksgiving is to show thanks for all the good in your life, but I feel like the whole holiday season should be for giving thanks. Not just on Thanksgiving.
It is so easy to get caught up on the commercialism of the Christmas season and to spend so much time and energy worrying about gifts that you forget about the important things, like family, spending time together, helping those less fortunate and creating valuable memories that can never be replaced.
Yes, I am thankful for all the things life has afforded me but, I choose to focus my thankfulness on the people I love, the laughter and memories that we share, and lessons that they teach me. Without those things Thanksgiving is just a turkey and some sides and Christmas is a credit card bill and some colored lights.
I know that for some people the pumpkin pie and gifts wrapped in shiny paper are important (sometimes the most important things even), but to me they are just symbols of greater things. The pie is tasty but the person that made the pie is the most important ingredient and no matter how much the gift cost or how many gifts are under the tree a gift is only as good as the love that was put into it.
I am thankful for… love, family, friends, health and happiness.
