Thanksgiving Day is approaching, but I barely notice. I enter into November and retailers are steamrolling me towards their Holiday profit margins. I catch myself thinking about gifts I will purchase for my loved ones moreover, when will we decorate, watch our favorite Christmas movies, and start making holiday plans? I am being propelled against my will into the most magical time of the year. If I start early, it might be less stressful, right? Yea right.
Instead, I’m going to take time to settle my soul and cultivate a time of gratitude before the hustle and bustle starts.
It’s Not About the Turkey…
I never appreciated Thanksgiving growing up, it was merely the day I had to suffer through to get to Christmas, but I want something different for my children. Thanksgiving is much more than a feast on the last Thursday of November, or a hurdle to Christmas. It is a time to relish the things I have in life that make it rich. I’m going to stop the madness and try to see just how divine life really is.
Blessed
I want to have more humility so that I will realize that I am blessed and not entitled to all the things surrounding me, and in particular my kids need to know how privileged they are. They have to know that things they take for granted, specifically daily food provisions, freedom of speech, freedom to worship as we choose, and our military’s protection of our freedom, are all things that people all over the world wish they had. We Americans are wildly spoiled in a culture of entitlement. I want my family to respect and appreciate what we have. Here is my list of the most important things that I'm thankful for and I encourage you to make your own list.
Country
Think about how fortunate we are to reside in the United States of America. Disclaimer: Our country is far from perfect and I hope we can all look back through our history and be honest regarding horrific things that should never have happened. There are still things going on here that I abhor and do not condone. I am not dismissing tough issues in our country’s past or present, it is simply focusing on the good things that we should be thankful for.
Freedom to Homeschool
The freedom to homeschool is too easy to take for granted. Homeschoolers are a now huge demographic in our country. We are no longer a fringe group! Where I live we have so many resources available for homeschoolers it is overwhelming to decide what to do. I must remember that it has not always been this way and we need to be on guard to protect this freedom. I am so fortunate to be able to spend so much time with my children and watch them grow, learn, and turn into the people they were created to be. Homeschooling is a huge privilege!
Military
I cherish family members and friends who have served and are currently serving in our military. I am thankful for their service and that of all the veterans I will never know. To say they sacrifice for us is an understatement, furthermore, sacrifice isn’t a big enough word for what members of the military do. They give up time with their families, don’t get paid as much as they should, repeatedly move all over the world, and give up so many things on a daily basis. They lose sleep from physical, mental, and emotional ailments from their experiences, while we sleep peacefully. They live with these challenges for their entire lives-there is no escape. Then when they are done, they have to deal with the VA for goodness sake! They don’t get enough recognition and thanks for what they do!
Freedom to Move
I’m thankful that we have the freedom to travel and move about the country as we see fit. We don’t have to get approval from the government to do what we want to do. I love the beautiful and very diverse land that we live in, both the people and cultures that I am surrounded by, and the glorious landscape that we can see from sea to shining sea.
What About You?
What things are you thankful for? Talk to your family about them this week-challenge them to come up with something every day that they can be thankful for. Don't rush by the Thanksgiving holiday right on to Christmas. Don't get caught up in buying gifts and planning celebrations. Focus on what you are truly thankful for - the relationships in your life, the freedoms you take for granted, and the loved ones that surround you every day.