GIVING THANKS

Its Thanksgiving season and I've been thinking about all of the things I'm grateful for, as we all do this time of year.  It was so nice to have my Dad and Ed's Dad with us for Thanksgiving dinner.  We were so lucky to have them with us. But I truly would give just about anything to have just one more Thanksgiving like we did when I was little.  I loved going to my Grammy's house, even though I had to sit at the kids table in the little sewing room.  I couldn't wait until I was old enough to sit at the grown up table.  Actually, I used to plan how I was going to get an invite to the table before my older cousins did. Since I was the baby, everyone was older than me.  I was low man on the totem pole for a grown up seat.  I would sit and plot and plan my attack when I was alone.  I was usually alone a significant period of time when my older cousins would "play house" and pretend I was the baby.  They made me a bed in the box of blankets in my Grammy's living room closet.  They would tell me it was bedtime and leave.  Of course, they never came back. They are obviously all adults now, and whenever this topic comes up, they sheepishly deny that it ever happened. However, if you look at the gleam in their eyes, you know they remember very clearly!  I miss my Grammy.  I miss my aunts and uncles.  I miss my mother.  I was so fortunate to be adopted by such a wonderful, loving family.  It even sounds funny saying that, because I never felt adopted.  I just felt loved.  My cousin Karen and I would laugh when our moms would do something that just made us shake our heads....and I would tease her and tell her that she was going to get it and I wasn't!  

The Christmas season was particularly wonderful in my family.  There were three pews of us in church Christmas Eve and then we'd head to our family party for the stuffed cabbages and gift exchange.  We still do this, but there are much fewer of us now.  Then, we would spend the week between Christmas and New Years visiting each other's houses, looking at each other's presents, and laughing at Uncle Geno's annual Charlie Brown tree!  

But, I realized that I found myself getting lost in what was.  Nothing can be as special as the memories that we grow up with and the people who loved us.  But, I don't want to ignore what's good about today.  Today, my son Andrew has a girlfriend, Kelly, that we already love as one of our family.  Today, our friends, the O'Rourkes have their first beautiful granddaughter, Ryleigh.  Today, I still have most of my cousins, however, I no longer play house with them!  Today, I have my husband and my boys and we have the blessing of tomorrow, when two of my dear cousins are spending what is probably their last holiday together after 44 years of being together.

And, today, I have the blessing of my animals.

I have a duck who goes to work with me:

A bunny who likes to swim:

A cat who likes to help me write my blog:

A beagle who loves to snuggle in pillows. I'm particularly thankful when they aren't my pillows!: 

A big dog who just loves life....and really loves to sleep:

A Gus, who just loves everyone:

 

A husband who loves our animals as much as I do!!:

And Amos...who has enhanced our lives in so many ways.  He has innocently fought to survive and inspired so many of us to smile at the joy he brings. Amos has brought new friends into our lives, reintroduced old friends, and strengthened our current friendships.  Best of all, he brought us to pray together.  Amos is definitely a dwarf, and we have no way of knowing what internal abnormalities he has been born with.  Every day with him is a blessing. I look forward to starting every day being greeted with his big, innocent eyes and his exuberant bouncing around when I bring him his milk. Mostly, I look forward to sharing his life with all of you!

And finally, I'm thankful for the smiles on the faces of the people who have come to our farm to experience farm life, and to be loved by Amos:

And Delaney says it all.......