Thankful

There has been a lot of talk of thankfulness this month, and of-course, in America, that is how it should be. Our homeschool group is having a "Month of Thankfulness", and people have expressed, via email, a great range of "thank you's" to the volunteers that keep our group running and the people who have given their time and energy and curriculum and resources to helping others on this homeschool/parenting journey. Friends have been posting things they are thankful for on Facebook on a daily basis as well. I have been thinking about this a lot, and I'm thankful for Thanksgiving so that we can all remember how thankful we are.

I've put a sign up in my kitchen, "Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude" because I think it's something my family could remember more often. It's good for your health and it's good for your mind, and it's good for your relationships to remember this.

I may not always feel it, stressed-out as I've been, but I am so thankful for so many things. In a way, my life has been unimaginably fortunate. I sometimes wonder how I got to be this lucky. I found the love of my life early, was able to pursue a college education and a short career before turning my energies to being a mom. We have never had to endure much in the way of financial hardship, and other than a couple of passing health emergencies, we have all been pretty healthy.

Also, I get to CHOOSE to be a mom. I get to CHOOSE to be a homeschool mom. Choice is a luxury I have that I do not take lightly. While I didn't really get to choose who my kids are, I am thankful that they decided to come into my life and that I survived the experience (so far).

I would like to add another thing to my list today, and this one came to me on one of my stolen walks in the woods. 

I am so thankful for the trees. I am thankful that I can go within 5 miles of our home and still be startled by a deer beside the trail. There are very few places untouched by human hubris and folly, but I'm thankful that there are still wild places out there that people haven't mucked up too badly yet. It's healthy to remember that even though we tend to live in our egocentric, human centric, worlds, nature will continue on and it doesn't care what we think about it. I hope that this Earth and it's myriad of creatures will continue in it's endless cycles, even when we are dead and gone. For some reason that gives me comfort. It helps me to lift myself out of myself and regain some perspective.

 For this I am thankful.