Thankfulness

Tomorrow is the day, I absolutely love, love, love Thanksgiving, it is a great day always spent with those we enjoy, sometimes with family we love. This year it will our first without lil'blue in our midst, that is tough; she will be in MO with the family so it's all good in the big scheme of things but we will still miss her...I am so thankful that MiB is here, there have been several years he has been away. It is a dreary day here in FL and the fact that we will not be spending Thanksgiving with family makes me a bit sad. MiB is still en route to be home for tomorrow. He had to stop in at the SMART dealer for a back glass latch fix and is now on his way home from MCO after his second "L.A." trip this month or third depending on how you look at it.

When I think about being thankful I think in terms like how blessed I am. I have been provided a very nice house to live in with great A/C, I have a bed to sleep in with wonderfully soft sheets, two cars in my garage that are paid for, no real worries. I am wonderfully blessed by a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, a great family. All things but I am blessed through them, I am also blessed by my surroundings...the beauty of God's creation like the ocean across the street, palm trees in our front yard, the alligator in the pond out back (okay, maybe not him) but definitely the manatees over at the marina!

I am a fortunate American, I love our country, I hope others take time to be thankful for all that they have. We are a nation who lives in abundance. We are a nation at war. I try to not get wrapped up in the materialism that bombards me every single day; it's hard. And I am not even one that would be considered a materialistic person; however, sometimes the media can really suck us in. It's a constant struggle to remember our abundant wealth, to be content with what we have, to love each other and not things. It is one of my goals to do more with less, by living below our means and be thankful for all things in all circumstances, it's not easy, it's downright hard on some days, but I continue to make it a priority.

One time my second sister said Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday because it is all the great food and family time without the hoopla of the gift giving frenzy that Christmas brings. On many levels I agree with her. Unfortunately, I have come to kind of dread the Christmas gift giving tradition, seems the real meaning of the season has gotten lost in the commercialism of America.

Anyway, my noodles are drying, the pies are baked, the sweet potatoes are candied and I am taking a quick cyber break. Tomorrow we will take food over and serve to the on duty Defender's then go on over to serve our nation's best and brightest Airmen in the dining facility before coming home to sit down to an evening gathering with "three doors down" and anyone else who was invited that chooses to join us. We will eat way too much I know, but I can't wait! It will be yummy :)

Tonight we are attending the inter-faith Thanksgiving service at the chapel followed by a pie social, it is usually a great service since so many different faiths come together for this event and are represented. I am excited to go, it's always good to get together to be thankful for all that we have been provided and to worship the one who has provided it all!

So I wish you a HAPPY, HAPPY Thanksgiving and remember at my house there will be no turkeys, only a fabulous ham :)