Happy Thanksgiving!

When I was a child, we always went to church on Thanksgiving Day. What I loved about the service was that when we entered the sanctuary, we received a little slip of paper on which we wrote what we were thankful for. The sermon consisted of the pastor reading all of the blessings we had received as a community. I loved to hear the compilation of thankfulness from a community of people.

Nowadays our church doesn't have services on Thanksgiving, but we have carried over that tradition to New Year's in our family. We have a blue velvet bag, into which we place two slips of paper per person--one containing what we are thankful for in the previous year, and one containing our hopes, dreams, and prayers for the coming year.

But it is Thanksgiving today. We plan to go to my aunt and uncle's house in Lake Oswego, where we'll have a magnificent feast with my extended family. Our offering will be cider-glazed parsnips. Ever since marrying an Englishman, I've come to appreciate root vegetables. But I will never be a beet lover, like my husband is!

So onto the point of this post...here is what I am thankful for in my life:

• An amazing partner in life who shares my philosophy about life, books, spirituality, and politics; is loving, respectful, kind, and funny; enjoys and appreciates the same things I do; and loves me exactly as I am!
• Three funny, creative, energetic, loving, and healthy boys who make me laugh and help me remember what is important in life
• The gift of living close to my wise, giving, and incredible parents--and our close relationship with them
• My wonderful sister and her family, including her three sweet boys
• Mike's entertaining and vibrant family, including his mum, who will be visiting for Christmas after a 2-year absence because of her health
• Many other relatives living closeby
• Wonderful friends who read my pontificating blog posts! :)
• A Democrat coming to your White House soon, who volunteers to pass out turkeys for Thanksgiving with his family
• A vibrant, challenging, and fun job--more than most English majors can expect!
• The ability to read books, books, and more books...and listen to music too!
• My family's health and vitality
• The fact that Chris is thriving and surviving, in spite of his very difficult beginning, and the overwhelming odds of major disabilities
• Living in a progressive city and area
• The forward-thinking, inclusive, and hopeful view of the world our children hold
• A vibrant, progressive church community that is trying to break down walls between denominations and people
• The fact that I was born to my parents in the developed world in 1964, when my cleft lip and palate could be corrected and I could live a normal life
• The fact that I went to Japan in 1986 and met the love of my life...which led to all my current blessings
• The fact that I was able to have three children after not knowing whether the first one would survive, and whether I would have any more

That's enough for now. I could go on all day. I'm very grateful for all I've been given. Happy Thanksgiving and love to all!