This month, a trend went through Facebook like a wave. I must admit to extreme relief that it wasn't a posting competition arguing for Team Edward or Team Jacob (newsflash, you can declare either team, but it doesn't change the end of the story). Indeed, the postings were of a much more introspective nature. Once a day, every day, from November 1st through Thanksgiving, many of my Facebook friends shared something for which they are thankful.
"Thankfulness" is defined as "warm friendly feelings of gratitude." [You may soon realize that I LOVE dictionary definitions. It's a hazard of majoring in English.] As a mom of three little ones, I spend a good portion of my day teaching them to be thankful. "Firstborn" is learning about the warm, friendly part of being thankful -- which means that the words and the tone of voice must match. "Girl-Twin" and "Boy-Twin" (21 months) are still learning the habit of saying (or usually signing) thank you each time that they receive something. Yet with all of these thanks that I require each day, too often I miss the point myself.
Something else that I've seen on Facebook several times this month is the following statement: "Black Friday. Because only in America do we wait in line and trample others for sale items one day after giving thanks for what we already have." Too often, I forget to be grateful for the multitude blessings that have been heaped on me. By being middle-class in America, I am living in the top 1% -- globally, 99% of the population has less than I do. That humbles me and encourages me simultaneously. With all that I've been given, what a brilliant opportunity I have to give above and beyond the bare minimum that I usually require of myself. And at the VERY least, I get to be very, very thankful!
22 Days of Thanks on Facebook Looked Like This!
[Okay, with only 53 minutes to go, I am going to jump on the bandwagon (which I usually go after with a sledgehammer) and do the whole "thankful each day" thing. BUT, to be different (as if I have to try to be THAT), I am going to post random, unusual things that I am thankful for. My goal: to notice the small things that I often take for granted.]
#1 -- I am thankful for . . . flushing toilets! I've said it before, but I am really, truly thankful for this! (I'll be even more thankful when all three of my kidlets are using them!!!)
#2 -- Today's jumped out at me early. I am thankful for alarm clocks. "WHAT?!?!" you might say. But I remember when I would set my alarm clock and think "I have 8 hours to sleep, beautiful, uninterrupted sleep." Now, any morning that I make it to my alarm clock without being awakened at least once by at least one of my kids is a good morning!! (Today was NOT that day).
#3 -- I am thankful for chiropractic care, even when they mess up on my appointment and I have to wait an hour to get in. Hauling around two toddlers all day = sad spine!
#4 -- I am thankful for my tickets to the Cascade Theater that we got from the mailbox today! December has some fantastic performances in it!
#5 -- I am thankful for Garfield (yes, the big orange cat!). Why??? Because he so effectively demonstrates how I feel about Mondays!
#6 -- I am thankful that this whole mess [elections] is almost over. I wonder if I'll be thankful for that tomorrow, though. ???
#7 -- Firstborn and I are thankful for UPS and the particular delivery that we got today. What are we doing next??? [This was the day our Disneyland package arrived.]
#8 -- I am thankful for nap time. Mine or the twins'. (Yawn!!!)
#9 -- I am thankful that I can read my favorites comics online. (One good site -- gocomics.com)
#10 -- I am thankful for our postal/shipping services. I was sitting here this morning, thinking cranky thoughts because I can't mail some stuff until Tuesday, and then I remembered that we have really reliable mail service compared to many, many parts of the world. Fast, too!
#11 -- I am thankful for white chocolate. Beats the other chocolates any day of the week!
#12 -- I am thankful that I can afford shoes to cover my toes. New shoes for Disneyland, check. Breaking them in, work in progress. I got to go into the back of Big 5 tonight. Most shoes are sorted by type, but mine are sorted by size . . . because they only had 8 pairs of women's shoes in my size. It was easier to let me go in the back and look than to keep looking and then telling me "No, we don't have that in your size." Sigh.
#13 -- Today I am "thankful" that my kids are getting bigger and trying to do wonderful things on their own, like refilling their bowls with applesauce. [This posted with a picture of Girl-Twin sitting on the counter with applesauce everywhere.]
#14 (a day late) -- I was/am thankful for girl time with my sisters last night, even though I was having so much fun that I forgot to post this on FB.
#15 -- I am thankful for Christmas music! I love, love, LOVE it! I love it in July, I love it in October, I drive my hubby nuts listening to it!
#16 -- I am thankful that my favorite Bearpaw slippers are on sale again at Big 5! My last pair lasted me 2 years and are falling apart.
#17 -- I am thankful that Merlin Season 4 is FINALLY on Netflix Instant Play (hey, I would have even taken DVD's by mail). It takes so long for the British stuff to get here -- but so worth the wait!
#18 -- I am thankful for Burrito Bandito. Yum!
#19 -- I am thankful that I got to see Breaking Dawn with some awesome ladies!
#20 -- I am thankful that there are still tons of new things for me to learn. For example, I learned today that "nibling" is a slang term meaning nephew or niece (think children of siblings), and "niblings" would refer to all of them. And I have a LOT of them! I am so using this word from now on! I love it!!!
#21 -- Today I am thankful that our internet finally came back on. It felt like being disconnected from the world!
"Thankfulness" is defined as "warm friendly feelings of gratitude." [You may soon realize that I LOVE dictionary definitions. It's a hazard of majoring in English.] As a mom of three little ones, I spend a good portion of my day teaching them to be thankful. "Firstborn" is learning about the warm, friendly part of being thankful -- which means that the words and the tone of voice must match. "Girl-Twin" and "Boy-Twin" (21 months) are still learning the habit of saying (or usually signing) thank you each time that they receive something. Yet with all of these thanks that I require each day, too often I miss the point myself.
Something else that I've seen on Facebook several times this month is the following statement: "Black Friday. Because only in America do we wait in line and trample others for sale items one day after giving thanks for what we already have." Too often, I forget to be grateful for the multitude blessings that have been heaped on me. By being middle-class in America, I am living in the top 1% -- globally, 99% of the population has less than I do. That humbles me and encourages me simultaneously. With all that I've been given, what a brilliant opportunity I have to give above and beyond the bare minimum that I usually require of myself. And at the VERY least, I get to be very, very thankful!
22 Days of Thanks on Facebook Looked Like This!
[Okay, with only 53 minutes to go, I am going to jump on the bandwagon (which I usually go after with a sledgehammer) and do the whole "thankful each day" thing. BUT, to be different (as if I have to try to be THAT), I am going to post random, unusual things that I am thankful for. My goal: to notice the small things that I often take for granted.]
#1 -- I am thankful for . . . flushing toilets! I've said it before, but I am really, truly thankful for this! (I'll be even more thankful when all three of my kidlets are using them!!!)
#2 -- Today's jumped out at me early. I am thankful for alarm clocks. "WHAT?!?!" you might say. But I remember when I would set my alarm clock and think "I have 8 hours to sleep, beautiful, uninterrupted sleep." Now, any morning that I make it to my alarm clock without being awakened at least once by at least one of my kids is a good morning!! (Today was NOT that day).
#3 -- I am thankful for chiropractic care, even when they mess up on my appointment and I have to wait an hour to get in. Hauling around two toddlers all day = sad spine!
#4 -- I am thankful for my tickets to the Cascade Theater that we got from the mailbox today! December has some fantastic performances in it!
#5 -- I am thankful for Garfield (yes, the big orange cat!). Why??? Because he so effectively demonstrates how I feel about Mondays!
#6 -- I am thankful that this whole mess [elections] is almost over. I wonder if I'll be thankful for that tomorrow, though. ???
#7 -- Firstborn and I are thankful for UPS and the particular delivery that we got today. What are we doing next??? [This was the day our Disneyland package arrived.]
#8 -- I am thankful for nap time. Mine or the twins'. (Yawn!!!)
#9 -- I am thankful that I can read my favorites comics online. (One good site -- gocomics.com)
#10 -- I am thankful for our postal/shipping services. I was sitting here this morning, thinking cranky thoughts because I can't mail some stuff until Tuesday, and then I remembered that we have really reliable mail service compared to many, many parts of the world. Fast, too!
#11 -- I am thankful for white chocolate. Beats the other chocolates any day of the week!
#12 -- I am thankful that I can afford shoes to cover my toes. New shoes for Disneyland, check. Breaking them in, work in progress. I got to go into the back of Big 5 tonight. Most shoes are sorted by type, but mine are sorted by size . . . because they only had 8 pairs of women's shoes in my size. It was easier to let me go in the back and look than to keep looking and then telling me "No, we don't have that in your size." Sigh.
#13 -- Today I am "thankful" that my kids are getting bigger and trying to do wonderful things on their own, like refilling their bowls with applesauce. [This posted with a picture of Girl-Twin sitting on the counter with applesauce everywhere.]
#14 (a day late) -- I was/am thankful for girl time with my sisters last night, even though I was having so much fun that I forgot to post this on FB.
#15 -- I am thankful for Christmas music! I love, love, LOVE it! I love it in July, I love it in October, I drive my hubby nuts listening to it!
#16 -- I am thankful that my favorite Bearpaw slippers are on sale again at Big 5! My last pair lasted me 2 years and are falling apart.
#17 -- I am thankful that Merlin Season 4 is FINALLY on Netflix Instant Play (hey, I would have even taken DVD's by mail). It takes so long for the British stuff to get here -- but so worth the wait!
#18 -- I am thankful for Burrito Bandito. Yum!
#19 -- I am thankful that I got to see Breaking Dawn with some awesome ladies!
#20 -- I am thankful that there are still tons of new things for me to learn. For example, I learned today that "nibling" is a slang term meaning nephew or niece (think children of siblings), and "niblings" would refer to all of them. And I have a LOT of them! I am so using this word from now on! I love it!!!
#21 -- Today I am thankful that our internet finally came back on. It felt like being disconnected from the world!
#22 -- I am thankful that Disneyland is
calling to me and I get to answer soon! This has been a fun 22 days
of being thankful for the small things. I hope that I remain mindful
of the many, many blessings that I have each day.
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