Thursday, November 28, 2013

On this, The Most Thankful of Thursdays

Today, on Thanksgiving Day, I'm even more grateful than usual.

When I woke up this morning, I stayed in bed for quite a while thinking about today, about the food, the drinks, the family, the inevitable stomachache, and came up with a long list of things I'm grateful for. Here are a few of the things that are on my gratitude list for today.

* I am grateful that I woke up to a bright sunny day
* I'm grateful for my ridiculously comfortable bed
* for another year, another Thanksgiving Day
* for how far I have come from last year to this year
* for health, hair, happiness, and hugs (and the letter "h")
* I'm grateful for all 26 letters, all the pens, all the keyboards, and the words that give me the means by which I can express my profound thanks for the blessings of my life

* I'm grateful for turkey farmers
* the fact that I don't have to catch it and pluck it myself
* the farmers who raised the cranberries, the corn, the wheat, the carrots, and the broccoli
* the men and women who harvested it all
* the engineers and  machinists who created and installed the sorting machines
* the processing plants that sort and package it all

* the stock people at Trader Joe's and Harris Teeter
* the produce sorters
* the cashiers
* the bag packers
* the men and women who devised the recipes

* the factories that made the pots and pans, the silverware and plates
* the oven manufacturers
* for the kind and patient gentlemen who came and installed our oven and stove, refrigerator and dishwasher
* the folks who picked the canola plants and then created the oil
* salt harvesters and pepper growers

* the truckdrivers who bring it all to the supermarkets
* construction workers that build the highways that the delivery trucks ride on
* the highways and streets themselves
* gas stations where delivery trucks and people like me get the gas that bring food and consumers together
* for the bank where my husband works and where I gain access to the funds that pay for the thanksgiving feast and everything else we have

* I'm grateful for facebook and all the status updates related to gratitude
* for emails that wish me a happy day of giving and living thanks
* for photos of cooked turkeys, liquor cabinets, double ovens, and snowy mornings in the mountains
* for the many friends whose names and faces appear on my many electronic screens and also in my heart and mind
* for the internet and all the thanksgiving recipes I've downloaded and used

* I'm grateful for professional and college football games
* for the Modern Family marathon on today
* for Directv

* I'm grateful for the digestive enzymes and vitamins I took in anticipation of the huge meal
* for the anti-oxidant green tea that will fortify my system
* for water with lemon
* whole grain toast and eggs for breakfast

* I'm grateful for family members who drive many long hours to visit
* for family members who send texts and letters and love
* for friends who are more like family than my actual family
* for family members who check in with me regularly, even though I am not nearly as faithful to them

I'm grateful to be able to be grateful.
I'm grateful to be alive and oh so well.
Thanks be to God.

No comments: