Thanksgiving Blessings

This Thanksgiving holiday, I am so very thankful for the many blessings in my life. I am thankful for the last week that provided rare time together for me and my three daughters(yes, they have shirts alike on purpose..first time I can remember this happening), and their families. We worked, played, ate meals, did dishes, drank coffee, babysat, changed diapers, helped in the moving details and shared in conversations together. Last evening our middle daughter and her husband went home, thus ending our official Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. The memories I will treasure in my heart...my tired heart.

I am thankful for the few simple Christmas decorations I put up(perhaps prematurely) on my kitchen counter, and the beautiful, relaxing Christmas music that they are playing on our local radio station. I was having trouble feeling the Christmas spirit, and these two happenings help me. This little boxwood tree and the tiny lights I added to it, just add a real coziness to my kitchen. I am a rather "simple type" Christmas decorator, perhaps out of laziness...not wanting to take it all down and put it away after Christmas, but what I do put up, I thoroughly enjoy. And, I appreciate seeing each of your individual ways of decorating for Christmas. It inspires me.

On Monday evening we all had the privilege of sitting down together for our turkey dinner. The fancier dishes were replaced with simple ones, the high chairs, booster seats, plastic plates, sippy cups and plastic ware at the table added a new element to my dining room ambience. But, the candles were still lit, the Christmas music played softly in the background, the sounds of laughter, conversation and the sweet music created by five children, three and under, filled the air. Someday...they will be all grown-up, and then we can go back to the Thanksgiving tablescapes of the past. For now...I am so thankful for these precious little ones, and the many joys that Thanksgiving gives to me.
Speaking of joys and blessings...I want each of you to know that I do include you in on that category. I never would have imagined the fascinating and interesting blogs I would discover and the dear friends that I would meet, in this world of blogging. I find myself thinking of each of you as my friends, even though we have never personally met each other. I want to wish you and your families, an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving!