Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for my children, my husband, my mom.  My dad, brothers, and grandparents.  I'm thankful for my Catholic faith and my faithful God.  I am thankful for the miracle of life.

In no particular order, I give thanks for:

chocolate, insurance, our house, our cars, my brother-in-law's training as a mechanic, my brother-in-law, my mother and father-in-law, heck - all my in-laws are great.

owning a washer and dryer and dishwasher, people who give me their old clothes, all the people who spiritually, emotionally, financially or otherwise supported us through the last two months.

my alma mater, my husband's two best friends (Charlie and Toby) who are such amazing men, the priests who hear my confessions, coupons, Dr. Pepper, neonatologists, my midwife Bernice.

my friends, my friends whose kids are my kids friends, my children's godparents: Katie, Michael, Fr. H, Kimberly, Charlie and Jenny

autumn, liturgical seasons, the thinning effect of the color black, our couch, books, youtube, facebook, blogs, the Behold Conference, Rose Marie.

living between two cities with amazing young Catholic communities, Newman Centers, FOCUS, Johnny Cash, Sara Groves, Jars of Clay, 826 Valencia, St. Nicholas, JPII, Joan of Arc, St. James, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Mother Teresa.

homemade pizza, hummus, guacamole, root beer and a Sunday Bears game.

traditions, the Eucharist, redemptive suffering, merciful friends, the chocolate chip cookie recipe I've finally found that I love.

feeding therapy, James' night nurse Megan, volunteer EMTs, Christian radio, our kind neighbors, my dining room curtains, fertility, four years of marriage.

I know this list is silly at times, so here's the bottom line:

God has blessed me with many good things.  He has given me a husband I love and respect, who loves and respects me too.  He has given me many friends, several of which are very dear.  He has filled my life with examples of honesty, humility, kindness, generosity, joy, love, and beauty.  He has provided for my family well beyond our basic needs.  We are so blessed.

What are you grateful for?  Leave a comment or link to your own list.  I'd love to know all the things you're thankful for!



Christmas before Thanksgiving

It's annoyed me for years that Christmas decorations go up in shopping malls before Thanksgiving, but now people are beginning to decorate their homes in mid November, too. 

I've always wondered about the people who celebrate Christmas all through Advent and then take down the decorations on December 26th.  Are they so tired of it all that they're ready to get it over with?  Merriment, peace on Earth, Jesus' birthday: check, check, check.  Several years ago I spent so much time celebrating Christmas in the month of December that by the 24th I was done with it.  I'm sure that's not how it is for everyone, and I'm sure a lot of it comes down to how different denominations celebrate liturgical seasons. (do other denominations even have liturgical seasons?) 

But today I had a thought.  In our culture Christmas often has very little to do with Christ but is much more about other good things:  joy, family, love, warmth, feasting, gifts, pretty decorations, feelings.  To me, this shows a kind of bankruptcy - especially when it's Christians who are losing the focus.  And I wondered if we are so bankrupt that we have to fill ourselves up with good, but lesser things.  So we rush past Thanksgiving - barely acknowledging things like food, shelter, a good harvest, fair weather, family, health - in order to make ourselves feel better. 

A Christmas tree and some lights on our gutters are not bad things.  But I do feel like it's incredibly important to be thankful for the blessings we have, and to not lose focus on the meaning of a day that has been intentionally set aside for that purpose.  And I do think that part of giving Thanksgiving its proper respect is to keep the Christmas decorations in their boxes for just a little bit longer.

What do you think?  This was a thought borne today on a car ride and I'm not set on it yet.  I'd love to hear your perspectives and thoughts if you'd like to share them.