thanks·giv·ing
[thangks-giv-ing]noun
1.
the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, especially to God.3.
a public celebration in acknowledgment of divine favor or kindness.4.a day set apart for giving thanks to God.
Every day. That's really what it should be. I am thankful everyday that I wake up on this earth. I appreciate what and who I have more than I ever have. I'll admit that maybe Thanksgiving isn't really my favorite holiday. I love getting the day off and love getting to spend time with my family. Oh, and I love dressing. I could really take or leave the rest of it. Just a big ole bowl of dressing and my family and I'm good.
My mama loved it, though. She actually enjoyed cooking, and boy, was she good at it. Most Thanksgivings were spent with her side of the family - much further away which usually meant a road trip and that was pretty exciting, for at least the first hour of the trip until my brother started putting his legs over the imaginary line on my side of the car. My grandmother literally lived in the middle of nowhere, with no cable. I remember Daddy driving down to the nearest town to rent us a VCR and a movie for the night. I'm not sure we even had a VCR at home at that point so it was a pretty big deal and he must have been pretty hard up for entertainment. I was sure that must have cost a fortune because we weren't really into lavish experiences like this. And, then there was the year when Mom decided we would have hens with our dressing. She had an old one in the freezer that she decided to cook for the dog, but poor Daddy ended up with the old freezer burned hen on his plate instead. It bore strong resemblance to the turkey on Chistmas Vacation. He had requested the hens but had a real puzzled look on his face when he stuck his fork in it and said, "I'm not sure mine's any good." Mama quickly jerked it off of his plate and said, "Oh gosh that was for the dog!" But, the dressing was always good, and so was the love. No matter where we were or what else was there. Everyone was welcomed home and she had no greater joy than to watch people eat her food.
And, we've carried on tradition of making a road trip with our own kids to eat Thanksgiving dinner with their grandparents. It will be a feast of turkey and casseroles and of course, dressing. Their favorite thing will be the cranberry sauce straight from the can but regardless of how much food or dessert there is, there will be plenty of love. And plenty of reasons to be thankful.
I didn't really get into posting every day in November for what I am thankful for because that would require me to commit in the first place and I'm much more into eliminating things from my daily to-do list than adding. I do like the idea of making a list because it's a very visual reminder. It makes you realize how quickly you can fill that list or if you're slow at it, then you probably need to make one every day or several times a day. I gave it a shot, all at once in no particular order:
- cancer research
- God's grace
- that my husband still puts up with me and brings me my keys 30 minutes away after the 3rd time in 4 months and doesn't even yell
- Bailey and Martha Kate Jessop
- perspective
- heated seats
- technology that allows instant communication and the ability to allow doctors to see into the core of your being
- that even if my son may be a little embarrassed to hug me in front of his friends, he still crawls in my lap every night
- a daughter that wants to be near me, like me, help me, and mimic my every move
- smartwool socks, Ugg boots, and goose down
- forgiveness
- the ability to walk, and even run if I choose
- friends - both near and far and worth the drive
- that people I've never met or seen in a long time tell me they have prayed for me and the joy that I get when people realize that their prayers are very much heard
- vacation
- that my husband cooks on Sundays
- Selma - when she cleans my house it's the closest thing to a fairy I can think of
- being loved
- loving back
- Target
- that my husband truly enjoys playing guitar for kids on Sunday morning
- vacuum cleaners
- coffee
- doctors that genuinely care
- family
- that winter is only a few months out of the year
- prayer
- that he chased me and I married him
- drugs that work
- dressing
On Thanksgiving this year, I will spend my morning drinking coffee and perusing the ads for the sales on Friday - the only day or reason I read the paper. I will watch the annual Thanksgiving Day parade on TV. I will eat my fill of dressing surrounded by people who I love and who love me. I will celebrate the with the fans of the two biggest rivals in the SEC as we all freeze our tails off to find out who gets to hold on to a big gold egg this year. But, most of all, I will give thanks. I have way more than I deserve.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Kimberly
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