Thanksgiving Thankfuls 2017 – Reflecting on the Gifts of This Year
In 2009 at the beginning of November I started a daily status on Facebook for something that I was thankful for. The challenge was to post a new/different “Thankful” each day of the month in honor of Thanksgiving. This practice has become very popular now on Facebook. In 2010 I started this Thanksgiving Thankfuls here at Starts At Eight as a way for me to chronicle the blessings in my life, and for others to join me.
It has been a couple of years since I have done this at all. Looking back I found my 2012 Thanksgiving Thankfuls where instead of posting multiple posts either daily, weekly, or just when I got around to it, I posted the entire months worth of Thanksgiving Thankfuls all together! I really enjoyed looking back at it and thus decided to use that format this year.
November 1st: My husband. First and foremost in my life. My person. The foundation which my “bubble” is built on.
November 2nd: Jayden’s kind and loving spirit. He is always willing to lend a hand, especially when it comes to the care of his grandparents.
November 3rd: Ava’s fire for life. She is always entertaining, totally over the top, the kid from whom you want to bottle their energy and at the same time hide them until they grow a filter!
November 4th: Chloe. My oldest. So grateful she got her father’s way with people and quirky sense of humor.
November 5th: Once a month, for many years, starting with Chloe and now Ava we participate in a mother/daughter book club. I am so thankful for the friendships we have built there, both for myself and the girls.
November 6th: The Internet, for without it we would not have nearly the access to information and resources for homeschooling and life. How did we ever cook or create without PINTEREST!? Or look anything up without GOOGLE?
November 7th: Election Day – Today I am thankful to live in a country where the people have the right and opportunity to vote.
November 8th: Access to so many extra curricular activities for the kids. From ice skating to chess we are so thankful for all the extra field trips, activities, and classes in our area.
November 9th: Thankful for the three children I brought into this world. Each one of them has their own special traits that make them who they are. Chloe – my old soul, Jayden – my worrywort, and Ava – the one who proves parents don’t have all the control. {I wrote this same one in Thanksgiving Thanksfuls 2012 and it still rings true 5 years later!}
November 10th: My parents for which I will ever be thankful to for raising me and giving Joey and I the extra help in life that we needed to get on our feet in the beginning. Without their “doing” and Papa Peter “funding”, life would have been much more difficult.
November 11th: Today and everyday I am thankful for our Veterans; past, present, and future, they fight for us, they fight so we can have the freedoms that we do. Thank you to all our Veterans.
November 12th: As we stood on the deck timing for a swim meet today. I am thankful for yet another parent run organization that our children have benefited from being a part of. The HAST Families and Board work very hard to give our children a competitive and positive learning environment to swim in.
November 13th: As we sat in the blood lab today, I am reminded that while our healthcare system isn’t perfect, we are lucky to have the kind of medical care available to us that we do.
November 14th: The opportunity I have had to stay home and not only raise my children, but homeschool them too.
November 15th: Our equine friends. All the horses that have come and gone from our lives, and the ones currently in our world. I couldn’t be more grateful for the chance to spend time with all of them.
November 16th: There are no words for the depth of feeling I have for my husband, the other half of me. Today and everyday I am thankful for this man who is the half that makes me whole.
November 17th: My hair is cut and colored! (Crazy that 5 years ago I got my hair done on the 13th of November! Can you say “creature of habit”?) Today I am thankful for Georgie, the woman who has done my hair since my first perm in second grade. She is grounded, sincere, and giving, a woman most could only hope to become.
November 18th: As we deal with a continued leak in our roof (a small yet annoying one) I am thankful that our house has not been flooded out, burned down or wiped out by crazy natural disasters.
November 19th: The local libraries are on my thankful list for today! We have saved so much money and learned so much through the use of our local library. Not only taking out books and videos, but participating in programs and benefiting from the used book sales!
November 20th: My husband is so important that he gets three days this year! Only today I am thankful for the fantastic father he is to our children. He is the laughter that shakes in their bellies and the sunshine in their eyes. He is also the source of their sense of humor!
November 21st: Life. Just the gift of life is precious and can be taken away in an instant. RIP to the loved ones we have lost.
November 22nd: Thanksgiving Eve – Today I am thankful for a holiday that reminds us to give thanks. It is too often we get caught up in the current of life and don’t stop to actually appreciate all that we do have.
November 23rd: Thanksgiving Day: I am so thankful today for the friends I will surround myself at our “Friendsgiving”. It is a newer tradition we have and I am so grateful for our close friends (and vacation buddies) Chris and Christina who host it!
There are many things that I am thankful for that did not make this list. Most of the things on the above list stemmed from the occurrences of each of the days this month. As I looked back at when I did this in 2012, I so enjoyed seeing the many things that remain the same, and relishing in the memories of things past.
Here is the code for my Thanksgiving Thankfuls Button:
<a title=”Startsateight.com” href=”http://www.startsateight.com/?cat=42″><img style=”border: none;” title=”Thanksgiving Thankfuls” src=”http://www.startsateight.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ThanksgivingThankfuls-800×500.jpg” alt=”Startsateight.com” width=”200″ height=”175″ /></a>
