Happy Thanksgiving!

Sometimes I don't spend enough time on Thanksgiving being grateful. Today was no different. I helped my sister get ready to take two of her kids up to New Jersey where she's spending the next couple of days with my other sister and family. I came back from leading her out of the DC traffic...just in time to have another friend fly in from Arizona. We were able to catch up for a few minutes before going to Thanksgiving dinner at the Hyatt with my boyfriend. I must say...they have a nice variety of food, great service and a concert pianist accompanying the meal. It was great to catch up while sampling every possible kind of traditional (and non-traditional) Thanksgiving food.

We followed it up with a movie - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It was tragic, but a powerful expression of how the rise of the Nazis had an impact on family and friend relationships. I always take time to watch these movies to remind myself of my blessings. Last year I stayed up all night on Thanksgiving Eve reading a book called The Kite Runner that has been quite popular the last couple of years. I read A Thousand Splendid Suns from the same author (Khaled Hosseini) and it was just as tragic.

Now, I'm home alone and finally taking a few moments to express gratitude.

In no particular order, here are a few little items I'm grateful for:

• Personal conversations with family and friends
• People that tell me the truth about myself
• Little unsolicited notes
• Firewood (free) delivered to my house by my prior boss
• Meeting up with nieces and nephews I haven't seen in a while
• Seeing someone happy about a gift I've given them
• Hearing a good joke in a moment of despair
• Cookies and Milk ...and peanut M&Ms
• Walks - long ones where I can think and ponder and dream
• A little home of my own
• Christmas trees - real or fake brings the same emotion
• Music - different kinds for different times
• Hearing a compliment from a secondary source
• MyPublisher.com
• Facebook.com
• Blogger.com
• Lynda.com
• lds.org
• jesuschrist.org
• Old Blackberries that still work
• Old cameras that still take pictures of special moments or beautiful fall leaves
• Having a job that puts food on the table, gives me something to do everyday and ensures that I will have something to do tomorrow
• Having a job that I basically enjoy
• Carpooling
• Teaching 10 year olds once a week even if they are becoming 11 year olds
• Babies
• Nice boyfriend who keeps me on track
• Nice boyfriend who is always helping others
• Nice boyfriend who always cleans the dishes with no prompting
• Hope
• Faith
• The ability to change
• Love and friendship
• Quiet moments
• Breyers Vanilla Bean ice cream
• Visiting Teachers
• Challenges and trials
• Scriptures
• Good books
• Circles
• Bright colors
• Japanese architecture and gardens
• Martial Arts
• Pride and Prejudice - the movie and becoming better at not having it in real life
• Computers, iPODs, and most other fun electronics
• Eyebrows
• Fake teeth
• Little notebooks with blank pages with accompanying colorful pens
• Photos
• Sleep
• Goals

Some things are trivial and some are not. It's just taking a few moments to be reminded myself of the what makes my life move forward and what helps me grow and continue to improve life.

It is interesting how the season of gratitude comes right before the Christmas season. Perhaps that should be a clue to what we should focus on during this time of year. Gratitude in general and then gratitude specifically focused on Christ and his life, love, and offerings.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!