Thanksgiving

It is Thanksgiving Day and I am thankful.

I am thankful for sixty-one years of life. Sixty-one! I wonder, “How did I ever get so old?” But, I am thankful for every minute of it. The good times and the bad.

I am thankful that God gave me such a wonderful man to share my life with. I have grown up with and old with this guy, shared the thick and the thin, and still, he is ever at my side.

I am thankful for my mother-in-law, who has stepped in to be my mom. My own mommy died when I was just a child of eighteen.

I am thankful for two beautiful daughters, who have grown to be amazing women and our son-in-law. Seven beautiful grandkids who are growing up entirely too fast!

I am thankful for the one hundred and twenty-five children, that I have the privilege of teaching art to, and the sixty children I pray with every day in my Religion classes. I am thankful for the ways that they enrich my life every single day.

I am thankful for Facebook and WordPress. I am thankful that Social Media gives me the opportunity to connect with family, cousins, siblings, aunts, uncles, friends and acquaintances. You enrich my life with your stories and your presence, more than you will ever know. I thankful for those who take the time to read my blogs.

I am thankful for Lucy, or big, fluffy, wild, crazy, bossy, persistent, smart, lovable, Australian Labradoodle Doodle. I am thankful to her first mom, (you know who you are) because you made it possible for us to own such a wonderful dog. Thank you for all of your hard work.

Lucy enriches our lives every day, and I love her so much. She reads people, (especially family members) and she interacts with each person differently. She talks (both vocally and non-vocally). It is interesting to watch her try and communicate. Lucy has infused herself at the center of family life, in a way that no other dog has ever done. One minute, she is roughhousing with the kids and the next minute, she is laying calmly and sweetly across the lap of great-grandma. She knows that her daddy is a push-over and will give her whatever she wants. She knows that I will do as any good mom does; I will train her to be the best dog that she can be.

I love her soft fur, gentle kisses, and the loving trust I see in her eyes. I wonder if I trust God as much as Lucy trust me? God acts as both mother and father to me. He has lavished me with richness in my life, yet he is forever training me to be the best that I can be. I know for all that I am thankful for, there are moments in my life that I forget to be thankful. I ask God to help me remember that each and every moment is a special gift. Happy Thanksgiving, ya’ll.