Thank Filled

Almost nothing about my day has screamed (or even quietly hollered) Thanksgiving. Slept in til about noon, have stayed in my pajamas (even for a short outing to the store to stock up on supplies for mimosas!) and haven't eaten "Thanksgiving-ish" food, not even a single cranberry. In fact for dinner we're making a sausage/cabbage extravaganza...pretty sure the pilgrims didn't use Cajun seasoning in their smorgasbord. At this point in the evening we've watched at least half a season of Sons of Anarchy (and while yes, it's not the most wholesome show, you'd be surprised at the lessons/ideals that have bubbled to the surface).

I got to skype my family this morning. Have yet to decide if it did my spirit more harm than good.So great to see them, got some great laughs in, but having them all in the same frame and then me bein here all by my lonesome just reminded me that..."hey, wait a minute, I'm not there."

The one tradition I will hold is this. Every year at the dinner table we go around and express what we're most thankful for and while I'm sitting in a recliner as opposed to the dinner table with family I thought a shout out on here would suffice.

The answer is and always has been easy. I am thankful for the people God has placed around me. Situations and circumstances change, but its the people around me that make the valleys bearable and the peaks meaningful. I would love to go through and write a snippet about each and every one of you...really truly [I have the time and capability (and desire)]. But there is one thing that sticks out to me. My first hosts, Mike and Janet. I see now why it was so appropriate that they were the people that started my trip...they have gifted me with the MOST important lesson I have learned thus far which is simply to remember which things in life are important. (and not important as in my bank account or image, my schedule or weight...important as in Kingdom important).

There have been fun places, scary places, not ideal situations, loneliness, annoyance, laughter, growth. But amidst everything and everyone; crazy feelings and even crazier realities, I am alive. I have people around me who love me. period. (Jan and Mike, your family leans into this better than anyone I've witnessed.) Your family stays heavy on my heart, you are tethered there by my deepest gratitude. It will never fall or fade away.

Thank You. THANKFUL.