Wednesday, November 23, 2005

5 Things I Am Thankful For

Five things. That isn't very many, so it should be easy, but it isn't. It isn't enough! How about five things other than family, friends and, health? Okay, here goes...

1) Home. We live in an area that doesn't have the hurricanes, earthquakes or tornadoes, so we are able to spend Thanksgiving in our home with our family and be warm, safe, and dry.

2) The USA. We live in a free country. We may not agree with what other people say, but we are free to do that. This country is something that we take for granted with all our privileges and we need to be thankful that we were born here or that our family came here to live free.

3) Our Military (both currently serving and veterans!). I don't think enough people realize just how amazing these men and women are and all the sacrifices they have made so that we can live in this free country. I should really have put the military as #2 because without them we wouldn't be free!

4) My Senses. The ability to see my beautiful daughters, the blue sky, the sun. To hear the beautiful music that my oldest plays on her clarinet (she has two solos in the Christmas concert!), music of just about any kind, the voice of my husband saying "I love you". The ability to touch the soft fur of my dog, and Valour-IT has made me realize how thankful I am for my hands and how much I have taken them for granted. The ability to smell not only the roses in life, but the luscious smell of Thanksgiving dinner cooking (my husband is making the sausage stuffing tonight to save time and it smells delicious!). And, of course, the ability to taste that meal, the spicy coolness of pumpkin pie...yum!

5) The Internet. I know, it seems funny, but what if you didn't have it? This is where I can come and express myself with a bit of anonymity and I have the freedom to say more than I probably would in person. It has also given me the opportunity to learn that I am not alone in my beliefs or feelings and that they are beliefs held by people in other countries, too. That it is here in the last few months that I have learned more about passion for personal beliefs, compassion for others, individuality, and the true meaning of freedom of speech.

That is what I'm thankful for in addition to my family, my friends, and my health. What are you thankful for?

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