What am I giving thanks for this year? So many things! Among them are:
- My family ~ My husband, children, grandchildren, brother, sister, mother and extended family, far and near. I don’t tell them often enough how thankful I am for them, but I am. I am thankful for who they are and what they mean to me.
- My friends ~ They encourage me, they validate me, they laugh with me and are there for me. They are an extended family to me.
- Liberty ~ So many people in other parts of the world are oppressed and have nothing to look forward to. We are blessed to live in a part of the world that we have the liberty to be all we can be.
- A Roof over my head and more than enough to eat ~ I think of all those who have lost homes, whether to floods, fires or loss of jobs. I think of those who have never had a roof over their head or never had enough to eat, and I know I am blessed.
- Good health ~ although I have my share of medical problems, I can still walk, talk, see, hear and enjoy the life I’ve been given. There are others who only dream of the days that they could do what I can do today.
- The ability to travel and see my family ~ So many can’t see their families due to military assignments, incarceration, illness, the inability to travel or a number of other reasons. If only I choose, I can travel and see mother, son, daughter, or grandchildren. It may be a little inconvenience or an added expense, but I can do it. Some can’t, whether they can afford to or not.
- I’m thankful for the inclusiveness of a nation that accepts all, regardless of race, creed or color. How far we’ve come, just in my lifetime.
- and since this is a Genealogy Blog, I’m thankful for my ancestors who endured hardships and traveled across the waters to search for a better life. I am thankful they chose the routes they did and endured the adverse conditions they did so I could enjoy the life I live today.
- As I sit down to a plate full of turkey and all the trimmings and I bow my head in gratefulness, you, as a reader, are in my prayer of thankfulness. You are a part of what I am thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving!
