Thanksgiving

Why is it harder to be thankful some days? For me, I tend to get into a spiral of negativity. If something goes wrong, I can let it take things over. I get engrossed in what is going wrong in the day instead of paying attention to what is right and good. How much better would all of life be if we were simply thankful ALL of the time? Jesus came to give us abundant life and yet we choose to not notice, or worse, deny it.

As it has been one of my recent spiritual goals to be grateful (to combat resentment and bitterness), I'm going to take some time to list some things for which I'm thankful. I hope you all don't mind if some of these are a little more personal than what I would share with my in-laws around the Thanksgiving dinner table.

• My husband and his provision for our family that allows me to be at home with Z
  
• My beautiful boy, Z, who challenges me to be a better person by simply pressing the water lever on the fridge and spraying water everywhere
  
• My difficulty putting on socks and the constant need to pull up my pants because I'm carrying a little baby girl
  
• Family who have seen me through every phase of my life and who I enjoy spending time with; Family gained through marriage who give our little family-unit space and respect to be what we want to be and who l enjoy spending time with.
  
• Friends who love my son like a nephew, friends that make me laugh, friends who have or are having babies, friends I can go to for advice, friends I love to have dinner with, friends I can shop with (and who'll tell me that color really doesn't work)
  
• The leak in the roof over our bed, which reminds me what a blessing it is to have a home
  
• The extra "padding" pregnancy gives me that John enjoys so much (and another reason to be thankful for the first item above)
  
• Pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread with chocolate chips, round, orange pumpkins everywhere
  
• Traveling while on my couch, in bed, brushing my teeth: reading a book
  
• A stand mixer and colder weather, which make me want to bake
  
• Good music on an ipod and a walk with Z in the jog stroller
  
• Our down comforter and my toasty husband on a cold night
  
• Garbage trucks and trash cans, which bring Z so much joy
  
• Babysitters, of the familial and professional variety, who give me a break and make me happy to come home again
  
• Thanksgiving, the holiday that gives and doesn't expect much in return
  

P.S. One more item: the internet and Google. I'm making a pecan pie and I just googled what it's supposed to look like when it's done. Yeah! Thanks to Visual Recipes