Giving Thanks

Some days it's hard to find things to be thankful for. The very idea of giving thanks for something means recognizing that you have something others might not. If I give thanks for the roof over my head, it generally means that someone else out there is not as fortunate. When I think of it like that, I have very little NOT to be thankful for.


Today was a particularly challenging day on the home front. Kids would not/could not do anything for themselves and they met everyone of my suggestions on how to entertain themselves with an argument or a whine about why they couldn't do what I suggested. Especially on their own. It's days like this when I want to scream and pull my hair out. It's on days like this when I remember that going to work at an office was much much easier than this. But then today as I was about to reach my boiling point and when I was about to lock both of them in separate rooms for an undetermined amount of time; I thought about this another way: I'm thankful that I have 2 energetic healthy kids who WANT me around to play with them. I know this won't always be the case. One of these days, having mom around will not be welcomed or appreciated. I need to be thankful for these moments now. Even if it means I don't get a moment for myself, I have skinned knees from racing cars along the floor, and my coloring skills are continuously honed.


And just when I think I cannot possibly answer another question about how fast a rocket goes into space, or where that police car is going, or why is this apple green and not red; I think about parents who have children who can't speak, or about those that are going through an illness. This makes me thankful that my kids have curiosity and a voice in which to express it. I'll gladly answer these questions as long as they are asking. No matter how many answers I have make up along the way.


As cliche as it sounds, I am thankful for the roof over my head, the food in my belly, and the friends and family that have remained close throughout the years. I may complain about the clutter that fills my tiny house and wish that I had more space, but I know that I have a home and many others cannot say the same. I may complain that I burn dinner 6 out of 7 nights a week, but I have food to feed my family and we never go hungry. And even though I don't see my friends and family as often as I'd like, I know that I have the best of both and I'm grateful for them every single day.



Thanksgiving may be just a season...but the blessing that we have throughout our lives last a lifetime.