Tag Archives: Thanksgiving

Thankful, once more and always…

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The turkey is roasting and it smells delicious. B and O, my wife and daughter, are still out of town. They’ve loaded the car, but haven’t hit the road, yet.

I’ve alluded to it in the last several posts but haven’t been direct. B’s mother and my mother-in-law, my favorite mother-in-law, I might add, passed away a week ago Monday morning. The funeral was last Saturday. Her wake, funeral, post-funeral gathering was a beautiful tribute to a wonderful woman who led an extraordinary life. She leaves behind three children, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and seven grandchildren. We will miss her.

the church – built in 1850, it is magnificent and on the National Register
one of the wreaths on the church door, grandma loved lemons and yellow roses

I drove home with W, my son, Sunday afternoon. He slept, I drove thinking about the two days I had to teach my 8th graders.

Instead, I thought of all of the parts of my life for which I have to give thanks.

I am thankful for so much. I am third.

I am thankful for my faith in God, who has sustained me over the last several years as our families have struggled with loss.

I have a wonderful family, a great wife and kids, and a great dog, too. My mom, step-mom, my brothers, my wife’s brother, sister-in-law, her sister, and all of nieces and nephews, who are strong role models for my two children and always make time for them. Continue reading Thankful, once more and always… →

Thanksgiving – being thankful

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Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with family, friends, and memories – past, present, and future.

thanksgiving

We are supposed to wake up in Ohio this morning, but we’re did not. Instead of travelling to visit B’s mom, we decided to stay home. It was a tough decision, but the right one. B and O are sick, or were sick, or in the process of getting better, or somewhere on the continuum and it’s just not worth spreading our germs to grandma or anyone else. So, we stayed home.

The turkey is in the oven, the sweet potatoes are cooked and cooling on the side burner waiting for B to turn them into sweet potato casserole. I need to clean the beans and the table, but, first, I need to say thanks. It smells like Thanksgiving in our home.

I am incredibly thankful. I have so much for which to be thankful. After getting the turkey in the oven, I sat down with a cup of coffee to read the newspaper. Ivy snuggled up beside me, resting her head on my thigh warming my legs. I read about Ferguson, Iraq and Afghanistan, Washington, the Nor’easter hammering the northeast, the Bears and today’s football games, and a guy named Steve who runs an incredible hobby shop. I read my horoscope and the weather where I learned that this Thanksgiving will be the coldest in Chicagoland in 58 years. Yikes. Then, I called my mom in Texas to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving, then my step-mom in Mississippi, and texted my brothers, too. Then, I sat down to write a short post.

It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been blogging @MakingDaysCount for over four years and this will be my fifth post. I went back to read all four, they are below.

It’s amusing how time blurs lines and memories. I enjoyed re-reading each post. I smiled, laughed, shed a tear, and watched the rocket videos, boy that was fun. I remember writing each post and where I was. Interesting. Every year, I wrote a list of why I was thankful and I don’t believe I could have written a better list of why I am thankful, so I won’t.  You are welcome to go back in time as I did and re-read, but please take time to be thankful in your world.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Make Your Thanksgiving Day Count, make the next day a million and six times better than the day before it and pay it forward. Light the world with your smile. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, saying thanks and praying for wonderful day with many more to come.

Thank you.

I’ve got a peaceful, easy feeling

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gratitudeThanksgiving has come and gone and I am still thankful. I intended or planned to get up early Thanksgiving morning before everyone awoke and write a Thanksgiving Day post, but I didn’t get up early enough and when I did, I had a difficult time getting the cobwebs out of my mind and focusing. Instead, I gave up. Electing, instead to stay out of the way and help when needed.

W and I drove to Ohio late Wednesday, after W’s wrestling meet – the first meet of the year. We left a little after five and had to return because I forgot something. I learned later I forgot a few more things, but that is water under the bridge. B and O had left Tuesday. We had Ivy for the ride and she was a dream the entire ride over. In fact, the entire drive Wednesday night went well. The lake effect snow, which had been forecast for our route, was not heavy enough to make a difference on the roads. We arrived a little before midnight and B and O were up to greet us.

It was our first trip home to Ohio for Thanksgiving in a few years. Continue reading I’ve got a peaceful, easy feeling →

Giving Thanks – Happy Thanksgiving

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I went back in time yesterday morning to last year, the year before, and all the way back to Thanksgivings past. I went way back. I have been blogging at Making the Days Count since late May 2010 and have a few readers who follow along, so I feel I can go back to last year’s post without much of a problem for readers feeling like, ‘hey, I have been here before!’ Continue reading Giving Thanks – Happy Thanksgiving →