Adding Another

I have read many an "I'm-Thankful-For" in the last few days, and I think I'll add my barbaric yawp to the fray.  Because I have many, many things for which to be thankful.

• First and foremost, for my Dear Husband.  He is my partner, my support, my love, and my grounding.  I am thankful for the wonderful way in which he parents our children.  I love him for his dedication to his work and to us, his family.
• I am thankful for my wonderful children.  Dear Daughter is brave and loyal.  She watches and waits -- something I cannot do for the life of me.  She is creative and adventurous.  I'm so proud of her spirit.  Dear Son makes my heart sing.  He's funny and smart.  He's a handful.  Yesterday, when I threatened him within an inch of his life if he and a friend messed anything up while I cooked, he asked, "What will you do?  Throw us in a volcano?  With a clown named Fred?  Who is a Vegetarian but sneaks bacon from the closet when no one is looking?"  Diet Coke came through my nose.
• I'm thankful for my extended family -- both sides.  We are blessed with many loving Grandmas and a Grandpa still, aunts, uncles and cousins.  There can't be too much family, as I always say and mine is a spectator sport.  Half of them will be here today, the other half in Minnesota and Columbus.  Much love to all.
• I'm thankful for the example of loving fidelity set by my own parents for me and my sibs.  We are fortunate beyond measure.  We miss my Dad terribly on holidays as he loved them so much -- we lost hime nearly 6 years ago.
• I'm thankful for my home -- knock on wood, no hurricane has leveled it, no tornado torn down its trees.  It's in a beautiful neighborhood full of World's Fair Era homes of which it is not one.  I get to look at architectural gems all day long and my husband doesn't have to climb a 40-foot ladder to clean out the gutters of one.
• I am thankful for my friends.  They are spiritual, smart, funny women and I love them all.  More of them need to knit.
• I'm thankful for the fact that I have what I need.  We have enough to send our kids to private catholic school, to shop at the good grocery store and order clothes online when we need them.  Husband works hard at a job that he loves and we have plenty.
• I'm thankful for our Urban neighborhood, where I am reminded daily that there are many, many folks who do not have what they need -- be it shelter, medication, food...I see daily the face of the poor and I am fortunate to do so.  I am not allowed to forget that each failed social policy, each Medicaid cut, each time we lash out at the faceless "Other" using code words like "welfare recipients" and "unwed mothers" and "urban poor" we lash out at these people, these faces.  That swaggering urban youth is my conscience.
• I'm thankful for the blogosphere -- I really love the ready exchange of ideas here. 
• I'm thankful for my pets.  They take me outside of myself and my worries to the sheer delight of fetching a frisbee 20 times over. 

There are likely more things for which I should be thankful, but ... Turkey calls.  And family.  And Thanksgiving.  A Blessed one to you and yours.

*  Hmm, I wonder if there is an allusion here somewhere -- cause while I'm thankful for my stash, it needs thinning....

Comments

[Amanda]

I CAN SEE IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's so very exciting! I'm going to have to go back and read it all over again!!!!!!

I am thankful for and this strange knitting obsession that I get to watch!
Amanda