Happy Turkey! Well, that’s what we say in our family! Most of you are eagerly waiting for turkey and pie, visiting with family, or maybe waiting for family to arrive on this drizzly, cold morning. Me? I’m sitting here writing this because we’re having our turkey dinner on Sunday! My son, his wife and my youngest grandson will be joining us.

While I was sick I neglected several chores so I’ve been playing catch up. Hopefully, by Saturday, I’ll be caught up and can make my pies. The turkey breast (because that’s the best part and just enough for us) is in the refrigerator thawing. Next step, it will bathe in a highly seasoned brine until Sunday. I’m making myself hungry just thinking about it.

There are many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. On Facebook, I participated in the 30 Days of Thanksgiving Challenge, where for each day you share something you’re thankful for. I’m going to do something similar here but I’m sharing with you everything at once. I hope amidst all the food and chatter, laughter and photos, you’ve also taken some time to be thankful. Sometimes, life gets hard and we tend to forget about the little things, but we all have something to be thankful for. Here’s my list, in no particular order:

• I’m thankful for my Dad. He is my rock and my best friend. He’s my comedy relief. He’ll be 83 in February and I know he won’t be here forever so I just enjoy every minute with him, even when he drives me bonkers!
• I’m thankful for my grown children. They are my heart, my inspiration. They will always have my unconditional love and support. I’m so proud of the amazing adults they’ve become.
• I’m thankful for the beautiful little people in my life whom I call my grandkids. They are each special in their own little way, and I love them all to the moon and back. Two of them are growing up too dang fast and I’m pretty sure the two youngest ones will be following shortly. I wish I could see them more often than I do. I miss them more than words can say. I love you, my littles!!
• I’m thankful for old friends, new friends and everyone in between.
• I’m thankful for my furbabies, past, and present. I’m thankful for the unconditional love and the fact that they don’t talk back…except when I’m late feeding them!
• I’m thankful for my sisters. My first true friends in life, always and forever.
• I’m thankful for the small things in life: a cup of hot coffee, a warm blanket, a cat purring in my lap, 4 deer wandering outside, and a lone bird chirping outside my bedroom window. The little things that keep me grounded, that give me a sense of calm amidst the chaos of today.
• I’m thankful to a great man who stepped up to be the Dad my grandson never had. That man is fighting Alzheimer’s / FTD. He has my complete respect and gratitude.
• I’m thankful for Mexican food, which I have gone without since I first got sick. I cannot wait until I can eat at my fave restaurant again! Soon!
• I’m thankful for hot chocolate, hot coffee, hot tea, and hot soup…because it gets cold in the winter!
• I am thankful to the brave servicemen and women who fought for our freedom and their families who supported them.
• I’m thankful that amid my chronic pain and mobility issues there’s a couple of things I can still do – competently. I can crochet and I do it every day. Not only does it keep the arthritis in my fingers at bay, but it also keeps me creating and using my brain. I can also drive. I take pride in the fact that I have never had an accident or even got a parking ticket. I have astonished Dad at times at how I maneuver the car. I can still read and write, which I need to do more of. I’m thankful my mind is still intact, mostly…
• I am thankful for Mucinex, Tylenol, Nasal Strips, and Kleenex!
• I’m thankful for good food and Mai Tais, Mudslides, and La Banderas!
• I’m thankful for music; music that takes me back to better days, music that helps me get through the rough stuff, and music that makes me bang my head!
• I’m very thankful to my new blogging friends. It’s wonderful to find others you have so much in common with and who really care about you.
• I’m so very thankful for the people in my life who actually notice when something’s not quite right and check on me. I can count them on one hand but they’re the best.
• I’m thankful for the kind and considerate people; folks that hold open doors, checkers who pack greeting cards carefully so they won’t get bent. the man at Walmart who sees me coming and meets me at the door with a scooter, the receptionist who smiles and is pleasant even though she’s tired, and so many others. There are real jerks in the world but there are very good people here, too!
• I’m thankful for a sense of humor because without it I’d be doomed. I’m very proud to have inherited my funny bone from my Dad.
• I’m thankful for cough drops, lemon drops, chicken soup, slippery elm bark, and sore throat spray because some idiot always shares their germs and I end up sick.
• I’m thankful for heaters, blankets, and a heating pad because sometimes it’s just too cold!
• I’m thankful to Dad for bringing me soup and tea when I was sick. He tried so hard to help me feel better.
• I’m thankful to be an American citizen, where I have the right to think for myself and make my own decisions. I can speak my mind and have an opinion that may not be the same as others.
• I’m thankful to have a roof over my head and a nice, warm bed to sleep in. Some folks don’t have that.

There are many other things I’m thankful for this year, but I could be here all day…and I have many chores to get caught up on before Sunday! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner with those who brighten your day! Be good to each other, eat the good food and relax!

Happy Turkey!!