With thanksgiving just two days away, I decided to do a post about thankfulness.  My lovely mother always made my brother and I write out a list of things or people we were thankful for from November first to thanksgiving.  Something my brother and I thought of as a nightmare in homeschooling, we despised the extra work around the holidays (Don’t even get me started on the Christmas haikus and short stories we had to write!).

So without further ado, my thankful list;

 

Family!

Well of course this was going to be the first one!  I am thankful for my parents, whom taught me to be both kind and generous, but still kick someone’s butt if need be.  I get the privilege to talk to my mother everyday over video chat, and see my dad every night when he comes home from work and I’m still video chatting with my mom.

I am thankful to my big brother, who will soon be joining me here at the property next year while mom and dad retire the military and slowly make their way back home.  I will be happy to have my brother home.  (And let’s face it, I’ll get to do a lot more stuff around here while Gramma is focused on him 😉 )

And lastly, I am thankful for my grandparents.  My grandmother has taught me great patience (both with her and with others), and my grandfather has taught me to enjoy the little things, because you may not someday remember the big things (my grandfather is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease).

 

Friends.

Sad to say, but when I moved back to my hometown, all of my friends who were so excited that I was moving back, wanted nothing to do with me once I got here.  I haven’t seen a single friend since I’ve moved back to Michigan almost two years ago.  It’s something I should have expected, as it’s something that regularly happens in the military.  But, you make friends and loose friends.

So, when I moved back, I became so thankful to the friends I did have.  No, not here in my hometown, but spread out all over the U.S.  I spent most of my days ether on my phone or on my computer when I first moved in here.  I sent countless letters back and forth with my trusty pen-pals, video chatted some good friends of mine, and texted my friends who were always to busy to call, but could always chat back and forth over text when they got the chance.

Although my friendships with my friends here were diminished, the friendships with my true friends, strengthened.  I am so very thankful for all of my friends, and I truly don’t think I could have made the move out here without them.

 

The Earth! 🌎

Okay, so maybe not the Earth as in ‘our planet’ (though I am thankful for that!), but the earth we walk on and grow on.  I have loved gardening these past two years!  I am so thankful for this property, the roof over my head, and the ground beneath my feet!  I am thankful for the earth, for providing me with such an abundance of food, and wildlife, and wonderful people to share it with.  And I am thankful that I can give back to the earth by helping soil conditions get stronger, and by planting trees to help create more oxygen.  So thank you earth, for teaching me how to ‘grow’ as a person.

 

I am thankful for the seasons.

 

I strongly believe that every season has something to teach us if we are open to learning.

Spring teaches us about birth, and rebirth.  It teaches us that after the harshness of winter, you come back looking better and more beautiful and stronger then ever!

Summer teaches us about hard work.  The watering, digging, weeding, mowing, sweating, hard work that pays off in the end.

Fall is all about the reward.  You’ve suffered through summer, you’ve slaved over your gardens for months, and now, you get to reap the rewards!  You get veggies from your gardens, fruit from your trees, flowers from your flower gardens, and the leaves are in full celebration as they congratulate you on a job well done!

Winter, is about peace.  The silence of the nights, the darkness of the days.  Nothing to do but shovel snow when you can, and sit and read / do crafts when you feel like it.  It’s a time for rest, before you have to do it all over again.  And it’s a rest you have truly earned.

 

And the last thing on my thankful list: You guys!

I am so very thankful for my blog.  If I can help just one person through my blog, then I feel I have done what I set out to do when I created it.  But the blog itself isn’t what I’m thankful for.  It’s all the other bloggers.  The ones in subscribed to, and the ones subscribed to me, and even the occasional random blog post I find that makes my day.  I have learned more from all of you, then I could ever hope to teach.  You have given me ideas for projects, recipes, laughter, thoughts to ponder on, knowledge of things I didn’t know before, and the realization that I’m not the only crazy one out there! 😉

 

So as you sit down for thanksgiving dinner (or just regular dinner if you’re not from/in the U.S.), ask yourself, what am I thankful for?  I’d love to hear what you all are thankful for this year, and have a Happy thanksgiving!

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