Happy Thanksgiving! 23 Reasons to be Thankful…

This year has been a very tough one for me, personally, and for many of our loved ones, and I’ve found it much harder this year to have a grateful heart.  I do believe that it’s during the tough times that we need to put our focus on the good things in life even more than usual, so this month, I wrote down something for which I was grateful every single day, and today I’m going to share those things…

I have been doing this for the last few years, but this year it seemed more important than ever, and it has been helpful for keeping things in perspective.

Per usual, I’m always the most grateful for God, my family, and our health, so those are things that I thank God for every single day, so this list is for all of the other little things that sometimes go overlooked…

1 – The crisp weather and the beautiful fall leaves everywhere.  I really do feel the most inspired and alive in autumn.  It will never not be my favorite time of year.

2 – The List Master app on my phone that houses nearly 100 lists to keep me organized.  I’m currently planning many different events/fundraisers/get-togethers for the school and at home, and I would be an absolute mess without my lists.  (Honestly, I’m still a bit of a mess with the lists, but they help me feel less overwhelmed.)

3 – The generosity of the seventh-grade families and their contributions to the care package that we made for Jacob’s teacher who was just diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer that has spread to her liver.  I was truly blown away by the amount of money that we raised for her, and I teared up while interacting with a few of the parents.

4 – Good conversation with Brian on our road trip, time with family in Athens, beautiful weather (albeit a little too hot for November), a big Georgia win, and a fantastic concert at an iconic theater. 

5 – A yummy breakfast with Brian, a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha to keep me cozy for our drive home, a safe trip, and being able to see my babies after leaving them overnight.

6 – My two healthy kids and the broken road that we navigated to have them.  (I know I said that this was something that I’m always grateful for at the beginning of my post, but after receiving heartbreaking news from a close friend on this day, it was pretty much the only thing I wanted to say here.) 

7 – The nearly 14 years we’ve had with our sweet girl, Maui.  We got some sad news on this day regarding her health, and I’m just so grateful that she’s been healthy for nearly 14 years.  I do realize that’s a lot more time than most people get with their pets.

8 – Being able to watch my girl do what she loves – DANCE! – and see everything that she’s learned this year so far.  I am just so proud of her.

9 – The privilege of staying home and no longer working a corporate job so I can be at the school in a moment’s notice when one of the kids is sick.  My girl wasn’t feeling well this day, and I’m grateful that I was able to drop what I was doing and bring her home without having to move around a corporate workload and consult with a boss first.

10 – Ibuprofen and a good evening couch nap.  It was a rough day mentally and physically for me, and I had a lot of anxiety which resulted in a horrible tension headache, neck pain, and back pain.  The Ibuprofen and couch nap made me feel like a new woman!

11 – All of the veterans who have served our country, including my late grandfather, my father-in-law, my uncle, my cousin, my great uncle, and so many friends… we are so grateful for all of you!

12 – Cozy Sunday dinners at Momma and Daddy’s house… I sure do love ending our weekends this way!

13 – That Jacob finally finished his science fair project after 3.5 months of hard work.  It’s so nice to have it off of his plate (and mine) before Thanksgiving break!  I’m also grateful for the sweetest boy who worked so hard and never once complained the entire time, even though it was work intensive. 

14 – Good conversation with an old friend.

15 – That even though I still have this stupid vertigo that I’m (mostly) able to function and do my day-to-day tasks like driving and housework and cooking.  I’ve come a long way since this started in July, and even though it’s still a daily struggle, I’m grateful that for my independence.

16 – A good run in the beautiful fall weather and a happy day!  I’ve had more heavy days this year than I have in a while, and it was nice to feel light and joyful one day.

17 – Poker night with friends that included good food and drinks, great conversation, and plenty of playtime for the kids.  Seeing our kids and my friends' kids get along so well and have the best time together makes my heart so very happy.

18 – Brian, for helping me remove the factory Christmas tree lights from the artificial tree we bought for TEN HOURS even though I told him he didn’t have to.  Oh, and for the 28th straight Georgia football WIN!

19 – A yummy Sunday lunch with Brian’s family and a yummy Sunday dinner with my family, for good conversation at both, and for my mom and my mother-in-law who spend hours in the kitchen every Sunday so that we can all get together and enjoy a meal every week.

20 – Great kids who our kiddos have befriended at school… I love to see them establish these connections, and the kids who they hung out with today are both such great kids!

21 – A wonderful Friendsgiving with my girlfriends.  I’m so grateful for these long-lasting, genuine relationships with girls who always lift one another up.

22 – Getting stuff done and checking many things off of the to-do list!

23 – All of you readers!  Y’all have always been so wonderful and kind to me, and this year, y’all have really gone out of your way to love on me and support me through some hard times.  I know that we have never met, but just know that I’m just as grateful for all of you as I would be if we were friends in real life.  Thank you.  

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!