Little Bit of Nothing... and Everything...: Focusing on Thankfulness

Yes, I do realize it's only October and Thanksgiving is still a month away, but as I look forward to a "Thanksgiving" dinner tomorrow with my parents and brothers from out of state, my mind has turned to gratefulness and giving thanks.

I have so much to be thankful for - and preparing to write them out has both blessed and humbled me.

Fall makes me thankful for many things -

the yellow leaves littering my lawn,

the sound of leaves crunching under my feet when we walk,

the colors of the season,

the shapes and textures of fun gourds and pumpkins,

the smells of yummy fall candles - pumpkin, apple & cinnamon,

warm, fuzzy sweaters,

snuggling in blankets,

apples and all the yummy things we make with them,

cider and warm drinks,

soup.

These are just a few of the things I am thankful for in Fall.

I am thankful, every day, for my children,

for my family,

for my daycare family,

for my friends that I love like sisters even when we are all so busy it's hard to find time to talk or see each other as much as we'd like.

I'm thankful for my health and the health of my family.

I'm thankful for my parents, for the lessons they taught me as I grew up and the friends we are today.

I'm thankful for my home - for this year, feeling truly at home. Not just a house. Our home is not new or fancy, but it is comfortable and loving and ours and I love it. I love being here by myself. I love running my business from it. I love decorating it. I love fixing up little things in it. I love having friends and family over in it. I love planning for it. I love spending time with my family here in it.

I'm thankful for my children - for the times when we laugh so hard we have tears running down our cheeks, for the pride I have in their accomplishments, for working through struggles together, for the ache in my heart I get every time I watch them sleep and realize I won't have them with me every day forever.

I'm thankful for my husband - for the fun we have together, for how he supports me, for the sweet things he does for me out of the blue, for the way he fathers our children, for the way he makes it possible for me to work from home to be here for our home and family, for the way he works so hard at his job, for the work he does at home, for being here with me through thick and thin - and we've had our share of both, for loving me and making me feel it.

I'm thankful for my job - for getting to know the children I have the privilege of caring for, for loving them, for making friends with their parents, for watching them light up when I teach them something new, for getting to see them grow up, I'm thankful for the little sweet hugs and touches and kisses I get every day that bring a bright spot to even the worst day. I'm thankful to be able to keep my home while doing my job - the prepare for dinner, keep up with laundry and bills and house cleaning.