Thoughts on Thanksgiving

The week of Thanksgiving has arrived. The last Thursday of November brings turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, pies, football, family time and lots of memories to be made.

I laid down yesterday to take a 20 minute nap which turned into a 2 1/2 hour nap which made it impossible to fall asleep last night when I went to bed. So there I was staring at the ceiling waiting unsuccessfully for sleep to come. I started thinking about this upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving and how grateful I am for the many things that I've been blessed with.

First, I feel very blessed for my healthy and active body.  There is a young man in our ward who is in a wheelchair and is unable to walk. I don't know his story whether he's been unable to walk his whole life or if its a more recent situation. I don't know all the daily struggles he has to deal with, physical, social, etc. But it makes me very grateful for the body I've been given, even though it's not a perfectly toned, size 2, supermodel body.

Next, I am so grateful for the family I've been given. I was recently talking with a friend who shared with me some of her family experiences which were less than ideal. My family isn't perfect and sometimes I feel like we put the "FUN" in "DysFUNction". But we love each other so much and we show each other how much we love one another.  I've been so blessed to marry into such a good family as well. I hear co-workers talk about their in-laws and how horrible they all are and I honestly can't relate to anything they are saying because all of my in-laws are great!

This economic downturn has taken a toll on a lot of people. I feel so blessed that Brent has a stable job so he can provide for our us and will be able to provide for a future family. We have a wonderful house that fits us so well. We have money for food and the necessities of life. And for that I am so thankful.

I'm thankful for my hair! I know that's a silly thing to be thankful for but my visit to Wal-mart the other day had me cross paths with a woman not much older than me who's hair was so thin you could see more scalp than hair. I just wanted to cry for her. There are so many times I hate my hair. I actually have more bad hair day's than good. And I have to admit that there have been times I've been tempted to pull out the male clippers and buzz my hair all off. But seeing this woman reminded me to be grateful for the things that I have.

There are a lot of things that I'm thankful for and I'm thankful for a day like Thanksgiving to remind me to be thankful. It's a little unfortunate that we sometimes only find things to be thankful for once a year. I want to take this spirit of gratitude I felt on a sleepless night and keep it all year round. I hope you do too.