Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I think it is appropriate to use this forum to remind myself of some of the many things for which I am thankful. Please feel free to comment and include your special thanks.
- Of course, what kind of wife and mother would I be if I didn't start out by being thankful for my amazing husband and children. My nest has grown by one this year. I have a new son-in-law. I am especially grateful for him and the extended family he brings with him.
- I'm thankful for my biological sisters who, though so different from me in many ways, are a shining example of what my genes might, someday, allow me to become.
- I'm thankful for my sisters with whom I share no DNA but share a bond of love and support. Sandy, Linda Kay, Linda Lee, Carol, Michell, Linda A, Sally and many more. What an amazing group of women who (along with their families) give me tremendous love and support when I need it and some of them gently kick my butt and tell me when I need to go in a different direction.
- I'm thankful for the incredible women and men of previous generations who have firmly helped shape the best parts of me. Mother, Granny and Grand-daddy, Vondell and Mr. K, Aunt Mary and Uncle Gene, Aunt Jewell, Ann, Jane, Katie and Rex showed me what it means to be family and community. I hope I'm passing those lesson along to my children.
- Not to be glib, but I am truly thankful for my dogs! Annie and Sam display unlimited neediness and devotion. When they throw up on the carpet and awaken me barking, it is a reminder that I am still needed and useful.
So many precious gifts for which to give thanks! Perhaps this blog can be a way I can express my thankfulness and remind myself (and maybe even readers) to count our blessings and consciously express our gratitude. We recently went to see the TCU presentation of Our Town, by Thorton Wilder. I think Emily's words would be a fitting closing for an essay on thankfulness:
Emily: Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it– every,every minute?
Stage Manager: No. (pause) The saints and poets, maybe they do some.
Let's join the saints and poets tomorrow and realize life this Thanksgiving.
Jo
2 comments:
Test, test, test. I posted something earlier, but I don't see it now. Trying again.
Jo, welcome to the blogging world. I hope you have fun with it. I appreciate the thoughts of thanks. I also value the importance of taking time in the moment to be fully present; however I have a thought on the "Our Town" quote. I think there are a lot of people who are aware of life as they live it moment by moment. When we are present oriented we think of ourselves in our life in the moment and thus forget the lives of others. I know there is a problem of being future oriented as well, but wonder if being present oriented all the time is a selfish thing? I know if I give my son a bit of candy he would eat it because he is mindful of the moment. Even if I tell him I would give him a second bit of candy if he delayed eating the first bit until I came back (thus asking him to be future oriented) he would still eat the first bit of candy, even though the payoff would be greater if he was not present oriented. I am not sure this makes sense or not, but should thankfulness be a present, future or combination of the two?
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