Counting Blessings

Note: This post was started 11/14 and added to up until Thanksgiving on 11/28.

With everything suddenly trending toward Christmas rather than Thanksgiving, it's easy to look through a very American celebration (and certainly the biggest food holiday of the year) straight to the Next Big Thing. Unless you're a women's magazine or grocery store, November can look like nothing more than a path straight to Black Friday.

With two weeks to go, I've got plenty to be thankful for! I thought I'd share some of my blessings -- an exercise many people undertake this time of year, whether on facebook or email or just in a hand-written journal. Maybe a few of these are your blessings too.

November 14: I'll start out on a light-hearted note. Two of my favorite holiday movie musicals -- both with music by Irving Berlin, both starring Bing Crosby and both featuring the holiday classic "White Christmas" -- include songs about gratitude. In Holiday Inn (b&w, 1942) there's a song for every holiday and for Thanksgiving, it's Plenty to be Thankful For -- the scene is a little lonely, but the song itself is terrific. And of course the other song is from White Christmas (1954) and it may be my very favorite number in the whole film -- Count Your Blessings. Today, I am grateful for these and so many other classic movie musicals that have given me hours of enjoyment. They're a part of my holidays and guaranteed to make me smile and cry -- and hum the soundtrack for days.

November 15: Today I'm thankful for my dust bunnies. They're mine. I take full ownership of them. I'm grateful for them because I wouldn't have them without also having a place to live. While my home is far from perfect (and VERY far from clean much of the time), it houses the most important people in my life and is where we spend our most relaxing time together. Also where we do our Saturday chores, coming up in a few hours!

November 16: I'm grateful for my grandparents, and I miss them all.

• My Grandma Bohl, who I saw maybe once a year if we vacationed in Wisconsin, and who always reminded me to practice the piano, even though it was hundreds of miles away. I do wish I'd listened to her a little more!
• My Grandpa Bohl, who always seemed like a giant to me (he was a tall man!) and who told funny stories, really enjoyed his beer, and lived to be 99 years old. Therefore, I like beer too.
• My Grandpa Ramsey, who I often remember with his transistor radio listening to baseball...and who I think of every time I clean up my garden area with his little whisk broom. He liked to call me "punkin" when I was little.
• And my Granny, who I always think of in church when I hear someone behind me singing loudly, and slightly off-key. She taught me to "make the best of it" and to look for the best in people. She also left me her hand-written recipe cards so I can make special desserts for Easter and Thanksgiving using her recipes.

November 17: Old friends. Or perhaps that should be phrased as "longtime" friends. Some I've had since 2nd grade, some since middle school or high school, and amazingly they've stuck with me all this time. We know each other's best traits, flaws (all minor!) and hot buttons. If we don't talk for a while, that's okay, because we can just pick up again where we were, understanding that life gets in the way of get-togethers but doesn't mess with friends. Sometimes you can even get those old friends to blog with you.

 

November 18: Year-round, but especially at Thanksgiving, I'm grateful to live where there are a number of really great options for food shopping. Beautiful produce is especially important to me, and between the farmers' markets, Central Market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Sprouts I can find whatever I'm looking for and be proud to serve it to my family. We can even visit pick-your-own farms or grow our own (although I'll admit our yields are pretty low). The only problem is choosing which store to visit each week...and not going overboard (we can only eat so much, and sometimes it all looks so beautiful).

November 19: Right now I'm thankful for chocolate. That's it. Dark chocolate, to be exact. (Hershey's can keep their milk chocolate -- I won't miss it.) Earlier this week I baked these Brownie Batter Cookies using dark cocoa, and dark chocolate chips. It is a good thing I only baked half of them and froze the rest of the dough...try them if you dare!

November 20: I'm very grateful that someone invented the washing machine and dryer. I might be even more grateful if I wasn't the only person in my house who knows what they are for. :)

November 21: Today, I'm feeling grateful for my job. One I've had for over 25 years (although my tasks have changed, I'm with the same company I joined right after college graduation). My current position allows me to work part-time and maintain what I feel is a healthy balance between work and home. And today is my day off...the day I grocery-shop and get odd stuff done that is so much harder on the weekend. Very, very grateful for Thursdays!

November 22: I'm thankful that, on this 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, there is so much opportunity to learn more about this event and its effect on our country's history. I was only two when this happened, and the president was in MY city just hours before he was killed. Of course I didn't understand what was going on then, and by the time I was in school it wasn't something that was taught either. But with all the coverage and analysis being aired this week, I can better see the context and effects of that day. Horrible, yes...but fascinating too.

November 23: As we traveled to San Antonio today, I became thankful that there wasn't construction on the part of I-35 that we were using. After constantly driving through construction zones in Fort Worth and the Metroplex in general for as long as I can remember, it was a relief and a beautiful sight to drive without seeing orange barrels.

November 24: I'm grateful to have kids who, even though they're getting older, sit close on the couch while we watch a movie. (I do appreciate this more in the winter, but it's still sweet any time.) They may sit close because I'm squishy and comfortable, but I prefer to think they like sitting near Mommy.

November 25: Today I am already appreciating tomorrow's weather...it has been cold and damp (okay, wet) the last few days and tomorrow we will see the sun! A perfect day to visit Sea World and see all the Christmas-y shows and decorations they've prepared for us. Yes, we will need our coats. But there is a snow hill, so we would need those anyway.

November 26: Since the temperature was in the 40's all day with a stiff north wind much of the time (so much for forecasts -- and we were at an amusement park), today I am grateful for fleece. Scarves, gloves and the sweaters under our coats kept us acceptably warm for a full day outside. As a bunch of Texans, we don't get to bundle up very often!

November 27: Grateful for my sweet husband and two smart, active children. There's no one else I'd rather be in a car with for hours and hours...which is a good thing. They accept my Christmas radio station and CDs with little complaint and even spontaneously start the occasional sing-along!
 

November 28: Happy Thanksgiving! I've finished my part of the cooking, and am thankful for a warm, mostly clean kitchen. Soon we'll pack up and head to my parents' house where a beautiful turkey and awesome oyster dressing await. I'm thankful my sister is there to help my mother get it all together, and that they continue to invite us even as the kids get louder and hungrier every year. We're not a big group but sometimes it sounds like it! Family is what this day is all about...and we'll get to do it again on Saturday with Art's family, so the blessings just keep on coming.