Thankfulness and Thanksgiving
I think thankfulness is one of those feelings that can be as small and brief as a nano-second and as broad as the universe. But for me, it's some of the following:
I'm thankful that I can hear. Years ago at a conference I heard that the loss of hearing was more devastating than the loss of sight because blindness cut you off from things, but the lack of hearing cuts you off from people. I can't imaging not being able to see and drive around and see the beauty of the world but what a loss it would be to miss out on hearing the first coo and sigh of your new baby, the first mama or dada. And nothing beats the sound of a baby or toddler laughing. You can't help but laugh with them! To hear great music, the sound of water in a brook, the echoes in a canyon. They are amazing! Plus, how tender to hear the words, "I love you," from someone you love, too.
I'm thankful for family. My family is dysfunctional, loud, crazy, disorganized and generally nuts. But they are also loving, funny, caring and always there. My family reminds me a lot of Toula's family in the movie, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." At the end Toula sums it well with "I know my family will always be there for me," and that's like my family. When we get together there is laughter, usually some bickering, debates on virtually everything, and hugging, and usually tears of joy and love. There are kids running everywhere, food enough to feed an army and multiple conversations going on all at the same time. Everyone has an opinion and wants to talk and that's okay with me. I am thankful for each and every crazy member!
I'm thankful for my life. To say I've had ups and serious downs would be a major understatement and I have made more major mistakes than I care to recall. However, the downsides have enabled me to be compassionate and understanding of others in ways that I might not have been if I hadn't gone through struggles.
I'm thankful I have "mommy" fangs and claws. What are those? Well, years ago someone described me as a mother lion protecting her cubs. Well, that pretty well sums it up. When anyone says anything critical of my kids, the claws and fangs come out and I'm ready to fight. Sometimes the criticisms are, I hate to admit, valid, but I still don't like it. It's irrational, overprotective and probably drives my kids crazy, but my fangs and claws are always on the ready.
I'm thankful that my parents made me go to college. From my earliest recollections college was a given. There was never the question, "Hey, Kim, do you want to go to college?" No, it was always, "You will go to college, you will go immediately after high school and you will pay your own way." College was, in my day, sink or swim. We didn't have career counselors or support services. It was like being thrown to the wolves and the fittest survived. Having to pay my own way taught me the value of an education. I couldn't afford to waste time or effort since I was picking up the tab. It wasn't the easiest way to get an education but I learned a lot from the process.
I'm thankful for the seasons. I love, love, love living in a place where there are definite fall, winter spring and summer months. Each one has its own beauty and says so much about life. Each of us has dark (winter) times and each of us has bright (summer) times. The seasons also reflect life. The spring (youth) of life to the winter (end) times of life.
I'm thankful that the "good old days" are in the past. I do enjoy recalling my "good old days" and comparing various components of those days with today. But would I want them back? No. Because the "not-so-good days" would come back, too. I can remember living in a Kansas summer without air conditioning. Ecch! It was no fun at all. I'm thankful every day of the summer that I have AC and it's almost everywhere I go. I can remember taking trips to visit family friends in Topeka in the summer without AC in the car. Omigosh! it was miserable. I don't have fond memories of doing math by hand like figuring square roots by hand. I think the technology we have today is amazing. I can't keep up with it and use a fraction of what's out there, but I can thoroughly appreciate it. I try to imagine what technology changes my grandkids will see in their lifetime and it boggles my mind.
I'm thankful to have faith in God. Maybe it doesn't fit any given mold but it works for me and has given me the courage and conviction in my life that has allowed me to keep going in my darkest hours.
I'm thankful to have a hubby who is, in every way, described in the Celine Dion song, "Because You Loved Me."
I hope everyone out there in cyberspace is thankful today, tomorrow and everyday. There is so much to be thankful for if we take the time to look and appreciate.
I'm thankful that I can hear. Years ago at a conference I heard that the loss of hearing was more devastating than the loss of sight because blindness cut you off from things, but the lack of hearing cuts you off from people. I can't imaging not being able to see and drive around and see the beauty of the world but what a loss it would be to miss out on hearing the first coo and sigh of your new baby, the first mama or dada. And nothing beats the sound of a baby or toddler laughing. You can't help but laugh with them! To hear great music, the sound of water in a brook, the echoes in a canyon. They are amazing! Plus, how tender to hear the words, "I love you," from someone you love, too.
I'm thankful for family. My family is dysfunctional, loud, crazy, disorganized and generally nuts. But they are also loving, funny, caring and always there. My family reminds me a lot of Toula's family in the movie, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." At the end Toula sums it well with "I know my family will always be there for me," and that's like my family. When we get together there is laughter, usually some bickering, debates on virtually everything, and hugging, and usually tears of joy and love. There are kids running everywhere, food enough to feed an army and multiple conversations going on all at the same time. Everyone has an opinion and wants to talk and that's okay with me. I am thankful for each and every crazy member!
I'm thankful for my life. To say I've had ups and serious downs would be a major understatement and I have made more major mistakes than I care to recall. However, the downsides have enabled me to be compassionate and understanding of others in ways that I might not have been if I hadn't gone through struggles.
I'm thankful I have "mommy" fangs and claws. What are those? Well, years ago someone described me as a mother lion protecting her cubs. Well, that pretty well sums it up. When anyone says anything critical of my kids, the claws and fangs come out and I'm ready to fight. Sometimes the criticisms are, I hate to admit, valid, but I still don't like it. It's irrational, overprotective and probably drives my kids crazy, but my fangs and claws are always on the ready.
I'm thankful that my parents made me go to college. From my earliest recollections college was a given. There was never the question, "Hey, Kim, do you want to go to college?" No, it was always, "You will go to college, you will go immediately after high school and you will pay your own way." College was, in my day, sink or swim. We didn't have career counselors or support services. It was like being thrown to the wolves and the fittest survived. Having to pay my own way taught me the value of an education. I couldn't afford to waste time or effort since I was picking up the tab. It wasn't the easiest way to get an education but I learned a lot from the process.
I'm thankful for the seasons. I love, love, love living in a place where there are definite fall, winter spring and summer months. Each one has its own beauty and says so much about life. Each of us has dark (winter) times and each of us has bright (summer) times. The seasons also reflect life. The spring (youth) of life to the winter (end) times of life.
I'm thankful that the "good old days" are in the past. I do enjoy recalling my "good old days" and comparing various components of those days with today. But would I want them back? No. Because the "not-so-good days" would come back, too. I can remember living in a Kansas summer without air conditioning. Ecch! It was no fun at all. I'm thankful every day of the summer that I have AC and it's almost everywhere I go. I can remember taking trips to visit family friends in Topeka in the summer without AC in the car. Omigosh! it was miserable. I don't have fond memories of doing math by hand like figuring square roots by hand. I think the technology we have today is amazing. I can't keep up with it and use a fraction of what's out there, but I can thoroughly appreciate it. I try to imagine what technology changes my grandkids will see in their lifetime and it boggles my mind.
I'm thankful to have faith in God. Maybe it doesn't fit any given mold but it works for me and has given me the courage and conviction in my life that has allowed me to keep going in my darkest hours.
I'm thankful to have a hubby who is, in every way, described in the Celine Dion song, "Because You Loved Me."
I hope everyone out there in cyberspace is thankful today, tomorrow and everyday. There is so much to be thankful for if we take the time to look and appreciate.
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