We are entering Thanksgiving Week. One week from today, Americans will be recovering from a huge feast, still sleepy from all that tryptophan consumed in the form of roast turkey, satiated with an overdose of sugar and fat bombs, also called desserts, pies or cookies. But that's not the real reason for Thanksgiving. In 1789, the first US President, George Washington, proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November to be a National Day of Thanksgiving. Usually, we think of this day as a Family Celebration Day. I like to think of Thanksgiving as a season to focus on the abundant blessings I have. Of course, I do this weekly here at Willow's Cottage with others via Susanne's Friday Fave Fives at Living to Tell the Story, but in November it's a bigger deal.
As I concentrate on my week's blessings, I keep being reminded of my Fave Five from a few weeks ago when I focused on the basics. I just have to do that again.
1. Abundance of Nourishing Food.
2. Warm clothes. This includes shoes and socks, slacks, sweaters, shirts, jackets and gloves. I love my gloves. Because my hands are unusually sensitive to cold, I wear those gloves in the mornings as I drive to work. Even when it's only 50F, I'm wearing those gloves.
3. Shelter. One of the paragraphs I model for my students during Thanksgiving week is my appreciation of safe and secure shelter. I've lived in many types of homes from vacation tents and bush houses constructed from native materials to large four bedroom homes. I cannot count all the places I've called 'home'--just too many. Basic shelter is truly a blessing.
4. Clean Water. I don't have to boil it before I drink it. I turn this little knob at the end of pipe and presto! the water flows out and into my pan or cup.
5. Transportation. I have a great, economical car which is in good repair. And money enough to buy gas.
As of today, I am on Thanksgiving Break! It looks like our housing situation is going to return to normal within the next week. I am looking forward to reduction of the stress--oh how I am looking forward to that! (I may even pull my camera back out again.)
SO MUCH to be thankful for! If you leave a comment here, I hope you will share ONE thing for which you are thankful. I will rejoice with you!
15 comments:
Fat bombs - they're one reason I love this life :) I'm thankful that the photocopy machine at work didn't die on me while I was personally making copies (to leak-proof them) of the midterm exams last night.
This is a great list, sometimes we forget to be thankful for the essentials. I'm quite thankful to be over 40 and completely healthy.
The basics always make good blessing to recount -- we have it good. Yay for Thanksgiving break AND the house getting back to normal.
Oh nice, you are almost there with your housing. We really are a fortunate people with abundant blessings! Have a great Thanksgiving week!!
Thank you for the reminder to be thankful for the things we most take for granted. Have a blessed Thanksgiving break!
We sometimes forget that the everyday stuff we take for granted is not available in many parts of the world. I am thankful to maintain my home at a comfortable temperature at the push of a button.
Great list, Willow! I am so thankful for basic shelter needs. I'm well aware of those who do not have them.
May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving season.
great list and enjoy your Thanksgiving break!! I have to teach on Monday and Tuesday but this year for the first time EVER in the history of our school district, we have Wed off so will be traveling to Dave's folks in Plymouth County, MA. :)
Fat and sugar bombs also called dessert. That gave me a good laugh t his morning! I am thankful for the wonderful participants of FFF like yourself who remind of all the wonderful things in life we really can be thankful for!!
Of course we don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in Europe, as our ancestors stayed here, lol !
It's getting cold here too ! The city has opened the shelters for the homeless so that at least during the night they stay warm !
Happy Thanksgiving, Willow. We do have so MANY blessings to be thankful for. Even the simplest things (to us Americans and the West) are luxuries for so many in this world. I wish there were a good way to share it with them without all the politics and corruption and greed that takes place between our attempting to give and the people who need it most hopefully receiving even a little bit of that. If left up to people who really care, without interference, what a real difference we could make. I am thankful we have such abundance that we can give some away to others, even with the faulty systems in place. We can't stop trying! Sorry, I did not mean to go on a rant here. Blessings to you and your family.
Laughing at your reference to fat bombs! Now I will have a visual to help me when I'm reaching for that second serving of pie!
It's the seemingly little things that we take for granted the most, and we don't realize until one is taken away...either permanently or for a season, how truly blessed we are.
I'm thankful even more for my family and extended family.
Wow! What a great list!
So many times we forget to be thankful for the things God gives us like clean water (this was my favorite of yours)
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful list!
As we celebrate Thanksgiving in our household I am especially grateful for the means to have been with all my children and grandchildren in the last few months. And I have a new perspective on Thanksgiving Day celebration thanks to my recent time spent in an Eastern Orthodox parish. They celebrate six weeks of Advent and as a part of that they fast for six weeks, which means a vegan diet for most who participate. Also our parish celebrates a Divine Liturgy on Thanksgiving morning which I hope to attend. The needs in the world around me seem so overwhelming and I seem to do so little to meet those needs, but I too sense increased gratitude for God's mercy to me as I recognize those needs.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Linda!
I am thankful for your visit to my blog and your list of wonderful blessings. I hope you can de-stress now and get your camera out. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
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