Giving Thanks

As I mentioned in my blog last week, we try to remember all the things we are thankful for on our national day of Thanksgiving. My vacation in northern Michigan gave me some more reminders of what to be thankful for.

Wed and Thurs night, no heat at the cotttage--thankful for the wood burning stove! My twins have asthma, and one of them had real trouble breathing while we were there (thanks to the wood smoke). Instead of being upset about it, we chose to focus on how great it is to breathe when we can do it without having to think about it.

Friday AM, Mom discovered that our 26 lb cooked and not even cut into turkey (an extra one, as there were 30+ people in the house) had been thoroughly enjoyed by a racoon or dog. It had been dragged from the back porch to the back yard, where the carcas lay in shreds. Although we sadly didn't have turkey sandwiches, it made me appreciate refrigerators. Think of how the Pilgrims must have felt when THEIR turkey was stolen!

Saturday night, as my four youngest lay sleeping in my parents' bed, one of the girls threw up. All over her brother, the bed, the dry-clean comforter. We gave thanks for showers and washing machines! And we discovered that Subway sandwich bags are perfect barf bags for traveling.

So although a bit untraditional, this past week has shown us ways to appreciate the things we take for granted. Electricity, conveniences, fast food joints and our health.