November 21, 2008

Thanksgiving Countdown Day 7.

Because I love Thanksgiving & because I feel like I don't express my gratitude often enough I have decided that this whole week leading up to Thanksgiving I am going to post an entry every day about something I am thankful for. My list could be weeks long, but I am limiting it to 7(ish) things that I most feel like sharing.
So, today, on day 7 (counting down to day 1 being Thanksgiving Day) I am thankful for my material goods. Hear me out here-- I'm not saying I'm so thankful that we're so rich & that I have so many nice, wonderful things & I love materialism. No, no, I'm thankful that I have a home, be it ever so humble, with all of it's squeaks & issues, it's mine & it keeps us warm, safe & comfortable & provides us innumerable securities. I'm grateful for a reliable car that allows me to get to the doctor or the grocery store or wherever my needs might take me. I'm grateful that I have clothing to wear, shoes to keep my feet warm & dry & coats to ward off the winter cold. This sounds trivial, I know, but sometimes I think of the people across the world who literally have one coat & one pair of shoes & one pair of pants that they mend & repair in order to make them last for years because there is nothing else. There is no money to go buy a new pair of jeans just because you 'hate the way every pair of yours fit.' Most of us truly can't even imagine.
I'm grateful that I have food to eat every day, at any given time. Many kinds to choose from. No, my problem will probably never be a lack of food. I live within minutes of several grocery stores stacked with mountains of varieties of foods right at our fingertips. Don't enjoy wringing that chicken's neck & plucking the feathers in preparation for dinner? Well that's OK because someone already did it for us.
I'm thankful for a camera that allows me to document my wonderful life, the people in it & the amazing experiences we enjoy. I'm grateful that I have a computer that helps me keep informed, in touch & entertained.
I am incredibly blessed in material things, & hope that I never forget how much I have. I know these things aren't what matters in the long run, especially as far as how big or expensive or fancy they are, but they definitely make my life sweeter & easier. It's easy to get caught up in how much we don't have, but it's so nice to take the time to think of how much we DO have. It really is overwhelming.

1 comment:

DaBudges said...

by squeeks in your house, of course you're talking about the mouse? did you get him yet? lol Yes we actually DO celebrate thanksgiving, but Christmas music has always been apart of my Thanksgiving since I can remember. As for the can't-get-any-less-Thanksgivingish candy cane background, yeah that's because I don't want to lose all my extra stuff if I change my background again. SO lazy :D