If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving in the US of A, I wish you Happy Thanksgiving.  If you’re not celebrating, I’m still thankful you are here reading today.

As, of course, thanksgiving is traditionally a time of taking stock of the blessings in one’s life, I’ll try to capture a few:

• I’m thankful my parents thought it was important enough to raise me (and my siblings) in a faith-based way.  By doing so, they provided me with a solid foundation that has served we well throughout my life.
• I’m thankful they gave me a lot of latitude in my day-to-day life — they encouraged me to make my own decisions.  If I made the wrong decision, there were consequences.  Only one time did I believe they issued consequences unfairly.  But I sure learned to get clarification on my curfew — and I think they learned to give the clarification.  (I was, I think, somewhere between 12-14, and my friends and I were going out to celebrate someone’s birthday.  I asked when I needed to be home, and they told me to use my best judgment.  I think it was a Friday night, and I went home by midnight — all my other friends had to be home at 10; that should have been a clue.  I didn’t do anything wrong in that two hour time frame, but I certainly had the opportunity.  I was grounded for a week for that.  I was grounded one or two other times growing up, but I don’t remember why.  This one, because I felt it was so unjust, I remember.)
• I’m thankful my brother is home from Iraq, and I’m looking forward to the time when he can be back with his family full-time.  I know all too well what being geographically separated means, but I know it’s infinitely tougher when you have kids.
• I’m thankful for my husband, who is truly my best friend, and the hardest working, most creative person I know.  His creativity reveals itself in practical, engineering solutions to daily challenges.  I have significant frustrations with him, but he has equal frustrations with me.  We mostly recognize that and choose to be together.  I cannot imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else.  He’s always there for me. I sometimes need to  remember to let him know he’s needed.
• I’m thankful my siblings are all capable, successful, productive members of society in their own, unique ways.  I’m proud of each of them for their integrity, honesty, and willingness to do what they need to do in life.
• I’m thankful my two stepdaughters have accepted me.  I’m sure it wasn’t easy for them.  I’m proud of both them for the fine people they are and their ability to do whatever it takes in life.
• Our granddaughters are in high school — one will graduate this year.  They are both fine people, who are there for each other as sisters to support one another.  I believe they will be fine adults, and I’m looking forward to watching them continue to develop and meet the challenges of transitioning from high school to college or wherever else life leads them.
• I’ve been materially blessed beyond my imagination, and I’m thankful for that as well.

I hope you’re able to see the wonderful side of life today, even if everything is not wonderful in your life at this time — even if it hasn’t been wonderful for a long time.

I saw a post on a social networking site today that said, essentially, “Everyday you wake up to a sunrise is Thanksgiving.”  Try to find what makes your day Thanksgiving each and every day for the rest of your life.  I believe the more you look, the more you will find, and the happier you will find yourself becoming.