Thanksgiving Eve

I love Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday. Every other holiday, even the religious ones, have been screwed up so that the focus is not where it should be. I mean, think about it.

Easter -- there's the bunny & chocolate candy & bunnies & such, rather than a total focus on the resurrection of Jesus.
Christmas -- gimme gimme gimme, need I say more?

I could go on, but really, it's like no one can figure out how to foul up Thanksgiving. I mean, who makes money off of being thankful? And so, it's a non-holiday to many people. Most people skim right over it. They might get excited about having a big meal, but really... do you really celebrate being thankful or is it all talk?

Every year, we try to remind the kids of all the things we have to be thankful for. Not just "stuff" but the people in our lives, blessings we've received throughout the year and so on. Below you will find my list. These are the things I'm thankful for.

1. First & foremost, I am thankful for my family. I have an amazing husband and three wonderful kids.

2. I am thankful for my extended family as well. My mom & I are close and talk just about daily. It always makes me smile to know that Larry & my dad enjoy hanging out together because I think my dad's pretty great. My sisters are some of my closest friends. My brothers-in-law and all my nieces & nephews are super. I couldn't have hand picked a better family. My in-laws are all pretty special, too!

3. I've got the best circle of friends a girl could ever ask for. They "get" me. They understand me. We share interests, make each other laugh and can talk, talk, talk for hours. Girlfriends are the best!

4. My home. I may not live in a mansion, but I am blessed. It's just the right size for our family & it's in a great neighborhood with a perfect yard for our kids to play & the dog to roam.

5. Speaking of the dog-- I'm thankful for him, too. I know it may sound silly to be thankful for a dog, but I am. He's been such a sweet addition to our family this year. He's helped Sarah almost entirely overcome her fear of dogs. These days, she hardly flinches around dogs. Not to mention that King is just a sweet, sweet dog. He's like a 6th member of the family.

6. We have the best neighbors. They're just right. Friendly & caring, but not nosey & annoying.

7. My job -- I love it. I know you've heard all about it if you read my blog with any sort of frequency, but it's true....I am blessed. I adore my work.

8. My church (yikes...this probably should've been higher up on the list!). More specifically, the people in our church. We're blessed with a wide spectrum of people, young & old, rich & poor, very similar to us and those who are very different. All of them are such treasures to us!

9. Clothes, shoes, furniture, food, appliances....all those things that we take for granted. I'm glad that I have them all. I know so many don't have the basic things they need to survive.

10. And last but certainly NOT least--- I'm most thankful above all else for the sacrifice Jesus made to redeem me. Eternity is right around the corner. I'm ready!