Day One~Thirty Days of Thankfulness

It’s November!  One of my favorite months of the year.  It’s cozy, and restorative.  It’s warm comfy PJ’s of fleece, afghans with tea or spiced cider on the couch, fires in fireplaces.   It’s the month that for 30 days (at least) we can pause and consider what we are thankful for.  This month leads up to my favorite holiday.  Because I am all about thankfulness  (and warm blankets) Thanksgiving wins for holidays in this house. 

Family.  What is family?  Pause here and consider this question?  Webster’s Dictionary defines family as:

fam·i·ly noun \ˈfam-lē, ˈfa-mə-\

: a group of people who are related to each other

: a person’s children

: a group of related people including people who lived in the past

Webster’s only gleans a small portion of what true family consists of in my opinion.

I adore my family.  They are my everything.  The fabric of my universe.  My family consists of the Mr of the Home aka the Hubs, 3 spectacular kids, parents, in-laws, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins (boy do I have A LOT of cousins.  In fact when my cousins visited this summer from Pittsburgh we talked about our family and cousins.  Which we decided are too many to count) but also anyone who has ever graced our doorstep.  Shirttail relatives, too many friends to count, our 3 Japanese exchange students, our 2 Chinese exchange students and some people we have literally met, on the spot at our front door! They all go into the category of family to me.  We also have family all over the World.  The places we have traveled have afforded us many long lasting relationships that we consider family.  And of course we have our church family.

We were designed to live in families.  And for that I am extraordinarily grateful.

There is something so amazing when you are with people that you can laugh and cry with.  Who can, with one look into your eyes, know exactly what and how you are feeling. That share raw emotion with you.  Hold your hand, wipe your tears, and know your soul.  That see your fragile cracks, or sometimes enormous crevasses and don’t mind them.  That pray for you, taking your burdens and/or praises and lift them up as well as celebrate with you. That comfort you, be it with words, food or a blanket and a hug.  That stick together no matter your circumstances.  That forgive.  No family is perfect and for that I am very thankful.  We have a sign on the wall of our house that kind of defines our family.  I look at it everyday and what always stands out for me,  is “Love” 

Coming into November and starting my Tree of Thanksgiving, this is my first leaf.  My Family leaf.  My very favorite leaf.  The leaf I am incredibly grateful for, blessed with and honored by.  I am nothing without my family…and that family is as far reaching as I could imagine.  That family is you.  That family is Love.

~I hope you join me for the next 30 days.  What does thankfulness look like to you?