Thankfully

           
      In light of the upcoming holiday, I decided to be just one more person listing things I am thankful for.  Bear with me here, I know you’ve heard and thought about what you are (and should be) thankful for.  We are ALL grateful for our Armed Forces, First Responders, Health, and Happiness and, of course, our children, our spouses and families.  We all have our own lists of the biggies.  But there are some random things that I am also thankful for!  They many not be as important as the biggies but they are important to my way of life and my outlook.  So in no particular order:

•      I am sooo thankful that none of my kids is allergic to dust.  Though I try, I am not a domestic goddess.  I am also thrilled that they don’t have any allergies to foods.  At least, none that I am aware of! (And, if they do, I am thankful that it’s mild because it will take years of someone breaking into hives after a specific food for me to figure it out…)
•       I am sooo grateful that my husband is not a picky eater!  Our meals are often  “just adequate” (and occasionally hodgepodge) yet he does not complain.  At least not to me!  Hmm, I guess the next should be…
•       If my husband complains about the food around here, he is kind enough to do it out of earshot and/or to people who will not tell me about the complaining.  And I am thankful for that!
•       While my scattered mind is often frustrating to me (and I am sure those around me), it keeps me endlessly entertained and I am thankful for it.  I enjoy my flights of fancy.  They were less than helpful in school but are fun now…
•       I am thankful for my childlike wonder.  I could sit and watch an ant for hours.  I am amazed with the beauty of flowers and snowstorms.  I don’t feel like many people can sit and just BE.  I am grateful that I can live in the moment and get lost in the details and beauty in the everyday world.  I know I am sometimes annoying to my family when I am pointing out the “wonders” around and they are less than impressed.  ("Hey guys, look!  Look at this!") I am thankful they occasionally pretend to be as awed as I am.  (Hopefully, they are sometimes amazed as well…)
•       I am thankful for old “things”.  Though we don’t have “fancy” antiques, we have a number of pieces that had a life before they got to us.  I love the idea that somewhere an elderly woman is wondering what happened to her childhood desk.  I wish I could tell her we have it and will lovingly pass it on some day.
•      I am thankful that I had parents who loved me.  They weren’t always the easiest and they certainly didn’t do everything “right” BUT I always knew that they loved me.  I don’t think you can really understand why your parents did what they did until you are one yourself.   I hope they know how good it all turned out and that they can see my kids.   The wonderful, weird potpourri of genetics, tradition and parenting makes them my favorite people in this world and my parents had a role in it… 
•      I am sooo thankful that I didn't know how hard it would be to be a parent.  If I really knew, I wouldn't have been brave enough to do it.  So, I am grateful that my ignorance let these smaller, crazy, exhausting people into my life!
•       I am grateful for extended families- it can all be messy sometimes but the reward is so great!  My parents may be gone but I have so many wonderful relatives and in-laws that I never feel parentless.   Just knowing they are there if needed is a wonderful feeling.
•       I am grateful for my in-laws.  (Yes, I said my in-laws.)  This can be a tricky relationship for many people but mine are wonderful.  We all have our quirks that could make each other crazy but, on the whole, it all works.   I am so glad my kids can have a great relationship with their grandparents.  I feel like I gained an extra set of parents (and grandparents and cousins and brothers and sisters)!
•       I am thankful that my kids are small enough to all be at home when I go to sleep.  I know the time is coming when they will all be out at night but it’s not here yet.  Thank goodness, I need the extra time to prepare for all that worrying…
•       I am thankful for the Internet in my pocket.  In the old days, I had to wait to go to the library to look things up.  And I always forgot what I wanted to know.  A while ago, I looked up chaos theory just because I wanted to.  And, once, I watched a professor’s video about how to estimate the amount of m &m’s in ajar by using the packing fraction.  I haven’t tried it at a contest but I feel smarter now that I know there is a packing ratio for m & m’s.  (Weird, I know.)
•       I am also thankful for friends (and family) in my pocket!  Thanks to Facebook, friends that I might have never have seen again are still in my life. And, no matter the physical distance, they can be a part of my everyday life.
•       I always tell my children that they are not only lucky to live where we live but also to live when we live.  I am so grateful to live in this when rather than 100 or 1000 years ago so.  It’s nice to have the possibility of reaching a ripe old age that is higher than 50! 

  
     I think I am starting to ramble so I am going to stop there.  But, I would be extra thankful if one of you happened to mention today that 43 is the new 23… Or if you could get someone to proof me for something... anything!