Thanksgiving...

I was inspired by a friend of mine to post a real and honest list of what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving.  I could post the typical, sappy I'm-thankful-for-everything list, but to tell the truth, this year I'm just feeling a bit off.  Can't figure out why exactly; things are going well in general.  But I'm just not in the mood for the Norman-Rockwell-painting, everything-is-perfect fakeness.  So here's my honest, real, half-serious, half-humorous, all-true list, in no particular order:

I am thankful for my dishwasher; I grew up without one and I was the dish washer(or dryer, some days).  And being part of a big family, there were a lot of dishes to be washed.  So I'm thankful that most of my dishes can go straight in the dishwasher, and all I have to do is load and unload.

I am thankful for my library; I love to read, and have since I learned at 3 years of age.  I wish I had wall-to-wall bookshelves all throughout my house, and could afford to fill them with books...lots and lots and lots of books. (None of this silly e-reader stuff, but actual books, with actual pages)  But I don't, and I can't.  So I'm thankful that my city has an expansive library system, and I can request almost any book that I'd ever care to read.  Currently, my book bag is filled with knitting books(big surprise, that, I know).

I am thankful for my washer and dryer; yeah, I know this one kind of goes along with the dishwasher one, except that we did have laundry machines when I was a kid.  I would just hate to have to do all that laundry by hand.  On the same note, I'm thankful that I have a dry-cleaner just down the street a bit, so I don't have to do all the ironing; I just drop it off and pick it up.

I am thankful for yarn; it calms me like nothing else.  There's just something so relaxing about the repetitive, mindless motion of drawing loops through loops.  And there's something so satisfying about conquering a challenging design, or mastering a new technique.

I am thankful that my state is homeschooling-friendly, and doesn't over-burden parents with requirements.  I admit, there are days when I wish I could send my children away all day, but I can't, because I don't trust the government school system.  So I am thankful that I have the option to homeschool, and to teach my children the important things that the schools let fall by the wayside, and ignore the junk that the schools seem to think is so important when it really isn't.

I am thankful that God gave me a creative mind; I love to make things, and be creative.  I'm not as good with words as some of my friends are, but I am able to express myself through my arts: knitting, sewing, building, etc.

I am thankful that I live in the USofA, where I have freedom.  Granted, the government is always trying to encroach on our freedoms, but that's a subject for another day.  We have the freedom to worship God, or to worship whatever or whomever else we want; it's so easy to take that freedom for granted, and forget that in a lot of the world, it isn't that way.  We have the freedom to protect ourselves and our families.  We have the freedom to speak our minds, even if what we say is stupid and makes no sense(I won't name any names).  We have so many freedoms.  Let's protect those freedoms, so we don't lose them.

I am thankful for my family; even though they drive me crazy a lof of the time, I'd be awfully lonely without them.

I am thankful for the internet; so much information, just a few keystrokes away.  Most of my friends are internet friends, and the ones that I know in person, I keep in contact with online as well.  Specifically, I am thankful for the Bunker, and the BunkerBabes (and the one BunkerDude).  They have been my lifeline to sanity the past two years. ♥ you all, Babes(and Dude)!  Along the same lines, I'm thankful for Facebook, which has allowed me to re-connect with old friends, and stay in close contact with my parents and siblings, even though we live almost a thousand miles apart.

I am thankful for my refrigerator, which should be able to hold all the Thanksgiving leftovers.  Because we like to have a lot of leftovers.

I am thankful that my husband has a good job and is able to provide for our family, so I have the option to stay home and raise our children.  Even though said children drive me nuts.

I am thankful that God loves me, and always forgives my shortcomings(a nicer word that means the same thing as "sins).  I am thankful that He never gives up on me, no matter how many times or how badly I screw up.

I am thankful that my oldest daughter knows how to cook simple foods, and is capable of making lunch, so I don't have to.  Speaking of which, I need to get her to start on that.

So I'll just stop here for now. ☺ For what are you thankful this Thanksgiving?