Thanksgiving is Coming

Every year as Thanksgiving rolls around, I consider writing a "thankful" entry. The problem is that it would get repetitious, year after year. I'm thankful for my husband, my children, my family, my blah-blah-blah. I am thankful -- profoundly thankful -- for all of those things, but I'd like to write something different.

So I decided to sit down and think about what little things made 2011 a good one for me, and what things I am thinking about today for which I am thankful.

* I'm thankful for peanuts. I love peanuts. I'm munching some peanuts as I write this. I love peanut butter. I would probably weigh 50 lbs less if there were no peanuts or peanut products, but I'm still grateful that they exist, and that I am not allergic to them. I'm also very thankful that I read today that peanuts have more protein than any other nut. It's a health food, right?

* I'm thankful for the warm socks that were on sale when Borders Books was going out of business. As I sit here at my desk, I can tell that the air is cool, but my toes are toasty warm because of my thick, soft green striped Borders socks.

* I am thankful for all the people I have met through pen pal groups and blogs this year. I am starting to make some nice friends and read some interesting blogs. Blogs like The Art of a Letter by the remarkable Elle Mental; Oh Write Me (a great name!) by Limner Cade; Just Letter Rip by Patty Davidson, Adventures of a Mail Junkie by LolaStar, and so many more. It's been great fun!

* I'm thankful for the 13-14 years when Peggy was my pen pal, sad that she is no longer, but grateful for so many years of happy memories.

* I'm thankful for our DVR. I'm a slave to it, but I'm so happy to have the ability to see 90% of the shows that I want to see, thanks to the ability to record two programs at the same time.

* I'm thankful for my crock pot. I have been using it a lot this year and making some terrific meals. It's amazing how such a little kitchen appliance can make me feel so happy sometimes!

* I'm thankful for room fresheners, which I am using now that the dog pee smell is gone. The house actually smells nice for the first time in years.

* I'm thankful for Ashleigh Brillliant, the rather offbeat old hippie philosopher from Santa Barbara who creates Pot Shots postcards. I've been buying his cards for years and now am on his mailing list. It's always a treat to get one of his rambling newsletters!

* Though this has been a very painful year, with the number of losses we have suffered, I am grateful for the relationships that made their loss so painful. For the years I had the greatest mother-in-law ever, for the years Kathy was part of Cousins Day, for the times we had to spend with Nora, whether in this country or giving us an excuse to visit Ireland, for the wnderful friendship of Laura Morefield. The list goes on and on ... cherish and nurture the friendships you have now because you never know when they will be gone. I think back to one of my favorite quotes from Shadowlands: "We can't have the happiness of yesterday without the pain of today. That's the deal."

* I am especially grateful that I still have a functioning brain that allows me to create these journal entries (who knows for how long!), fingers which, though giving me difficulty now, allow me to type them, and for all of the people who stop by every day to read them. You guys are the best.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone (we're probably going to a restaurant to have Thai food, using one of our Groupons on Thursday -- grateful to Marta for making me take a second look at Groupons -- because we won't be able to officially celebrate Thanksgiving until Friday).