Giving Thanks

As this weekend is the Canadian Thanksgiving, I thought it would be appropriate to write a post of thanks myself. This is only made more befitting as we have just about finished our harvest season, and with good food, good friends, and good family about to be celebrated by us this Saturday (we are hosting dinner this year; 20 people are expected, and I am cooking a turkey for the first time - yes, I am terrified!), I would like to share my thanks on the Web, as well.

I am thankful for my amazing, hardworking, talented, and all-around wonderful partner. Without him I would not be as happy, healthy, and prosperous as I am with him. I would probably not have gone back to school, or pursue a career worthy of my talents, nor had our beautiful children. Not to mention the love he showers on me each day; I am so lucky to have him in my life.

I am thankful to my sons; each beautiful and marvelous in their own ways. We have been blessed with two healthy, inquisitive, creative, and intelligent boys, who will keep us running and busy for many years. I am filled with such awe and love whenever I look at them, and find it hard to believe that such perfect, smiling little beings came from me.

I am thankful for our extended family, and our friends who are family if all but in blood. We are blessed to be surrounded by such supportive and giving people; both in my family and in Chris'. There is so much love in our family, it is beyond compare.

I am thankful for our home. It was a long time coming - many years of sacrifice and doubt, but the culmination of our hard work has paid off - we have found our "forever home." A place where our sons will grow into men, and finally leave the nest. A place where we will continue to leave our mark on it, and slowly over the years make it work for us. I will not say we are making it our own, because it has felt like that almost from the day we moved in. I still cannot believe some days how great a house this is, yet it has always felt like ours.

I am thankful for our furry children, too. Though they all (four of them!) may drive me to distraction; they also bring such joy to our home, and warm bellies for feet on a cold night. They are teaching us patients, consistency, and the meaning of unconditional love. We are blessed.

I am thankful for our harvest. Our gardens gave us a (albeit small) taste of what it is like for the farmers who grow our food: the frustrations, successes, and finally the sense of accomplishment that comes with growing your own produce. The fact that we are teaching our sons that food is not something that magically appears on your table or the super-market, but something that takes a lot of time and effort to grow, will hopefully give them an appreciation for what they consume. And how it is so important to do this in a sustainable, healthy, way.

I could probably go into a thousand more things that I am thankful for, but I will end with this: I am thankful that I live in Canada. We may gripe and grown over our government, our taxes, our health-care system. But we have it good. It is all too easy to get caught up with the doom-sayers, and only dwell on the dwindling fresh-water supply, vanishing forests, or polluted earth. So today I am going to be thankful for what we do have. A great and beautiful country, were freedom of speech is not only allowed but encouraged, where freedom of religion and point of view is allowed and all the consequences that follow. That I can walk my son to the library at night and not fear for my life. That we have brothers and sisters who are willing to leave the safety and comfort of their homes to try and bring peace and stability to the lives of others less fortunate all around the world. I am thankful for our beautiful trees, our fresh air, and our clean waters.

I am very lucky, and very blessed. A huge thank you to everyone who checks here regularly to follow our family. Thank you for your patients when real life got in the way of posting, and thank you for your kindness and support in reading the post that do get posted.

Though this weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada, wherever you are, please take the time to thank those in your life who are important to you. Take the time to reflect on just how lucky you are; that in the chaos and misery of the world, we all have our little piece of heaven.