Giving Thanks in 2011

I’ve noticed that a few of my Facebook friends are posting something for which they’re thankful everyday this month (I’m assuming until Thanksgiving Day). Given my current stresses, I thought I’d do the same, but place my blessings in one spot.



1. I’m grateful for my family.
I have an adoring husband who participates in household chores without complaint, takes care of our daughter, and puts up with me and all my nonsense.
I have a fabulous daughter who worries about me and misses me when I so much as leave a room.
I have loving in-laws who treat me like one of the family…sometimes better.
I have supportive grandparents who have forgiven me for all my transgressions.
I have an extended family who, even if they don’t know it, helped me to be the person I am today. (I hope that’s a good thing.)

2. I’m grateful for my health.
It could be better, but it could always be much, much worse. Same with my family.

3. I’m grateful for my education.
I may never have truly understoodd higher mathematics, science may be beyond me, and my memory may not be proficient, but at least I can sound intelligent, I can appreciate that which I can’t understand, and I love to constantly learn. What knowledge I have gained I am able to share with my daughter, thereby giving her a head start in her own education. Above all, I’m grateful I’m literate. I can’t imagine my life without the ability to read new ideas and share my own.

4. I’m grateful for my work.
I have the ability to be a stay-at-home-mother and develop a new human being. My husband, his parents, and brother are all employed. We have the ability, desire, and means to work.

5. I’m grateful for my friends.
I have met many people throughout my life. Some are mere memories while others have impacted my life. I may not be close with many people today, but our friendship is true, and that’s what’s important.

6. I’m grateful for my God.
My God helps provide for us. He forgives us our sins. He has a plan for us, but allows us freedom of choice. He blesses us with all good things in life. He loves all His children, no matter what.

7. I’m grateful for my home.
We may not have the newest, nicest, largest, or even best built house, but it’s a roof over our heads, walls to keep out the cold, and a place to call home. And I have a pool.

8. I‘m grateful for the ability to breastfeed.
Having used formula and expressing, I’m so glad we finally got the swing of things. Not only did it make feeding time immensely easier, but also provided excellent nutrition, a unique way to bond, and helped keep us both healthy.

9. I’m grateful for all I’ve experienced in life…even the bad (well, some of the bad).
I’ve had the opportunity to attend various schools, thereby meeting a wide range of people; travel the world, thereby experiencing new sights and cultures; date guys all wrong for me, thereby knowing what was right for me; make some poor choices, thereby learning from experiences so I don’t make the same mistake twice (nothing serious, at least); and have the ability to teach my own children through my experiences.

10. I’m grateful for modern technology.
While it may inadvertently provide nasty consequences (global warming), much of our lives are still improved by technology, whether it’s in the medical field, education, or just simplicity of life (social networking, for instance).

11. I’m grateful for waking up this morning.
I may want to sleep the day away sometimes, but I’m glad God decided I’m worthy enough to spend another day walking around Earth.

12. I’m grateful for our future potential.
I like to believe we’ll eventually have a world similar to that of Star Trek, where people at least attempt peace and are willing to try to understand other people’s points of view and ways of life without being too prejudiced. Meeting aliens would be awesome, too.

13. I’m grateful for our pets.
We have a cat my daughter adores while her grandparents and uncle have three dogs who make them all happy.

14. I’m grateful for Gymboree.
I’m able to keep my daughter well dressed at all times, and have fun shopping for boys clothes for her friends, too.

15. I’m grateful for freedom of speech.
I’m glad that I’m able to read and watch a wide variety of materials on an even wider variety of subjects.

16. I’m grateful for DVDs.
This could be part of the technology entry, but DVDs have provided endless hours of entertainment for my whole family, whether it’s watching a movie, a documentary, home movies, or television shows a season (or all seven) at a time.

17. I’m grateful for music, and the ability to hear it.
I love music. I love listening and dancing to music, playing music, and singing. I love when a song comes on that expresses a part of my life, reminds me of a special time in my life, or provides me with inspiration for a new story.

18. I’m grateful for restaurants.
I’m a princess. The only types of dinner I make are reservations. Naturally, I'm grateful that we have plenty of good food to eat, too.

19. I’m grateful for Starbucks.
Maybe I shouldn’t be as they’ve put numerous companies out of business and are seriously overpriced, but it’s provided me with a place to stay when my daughter’s in school (her school is 30 minutes from us).

20. I’m grateful for Walt Disney.
God my have given us life and all great natural things in it, but Disney turned them magical, as well as physical places to enjoy his creativity.

21. I’m grateful for variety of life.
Whether it’s the landscape, animals, or people, God filled our Earth with numerous wonders to enjoy.

22. I’m grateful for toys.
Blocks and games for children, power tools and iPhones for adults (okay, even my daughter enjoys the iPhone). Whatever the “toy,” they keep us entertained and can help us spend time with our family and friends. Heck, I think even Words/Hanging with Friends has helped me improve my mind.

23. I’m grateful for having an open mind.
I may not agree with everyone and all choices, but I try to remember that all people have their own reasons for their beliefs, lifestyles, and likes. Furthermore, I’m glad I have the ability to enjoy books and movies that may not be the best ones ever made, but are entertaining in their own right. In other words, for not being a snob.

24. I’m grateful for our country’s history. While there were unfortunately some dark periods, it made us what we are today, the good, the bad, and everything in between.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!