Thanksgiving Day - What are you thankful for?

My daughter Jeanne called me today to share with me a journal entry of her friend, which inspired me to write a blog about Thanksgiving and what it means to me. Before I continue, please read this short message between a mother and her little girl - it is so cute and what a great idea to write short notes of thankfulness for everyone to see.

"Mommy, what are we writing today?
I thought it might be fun if we wrote everything we're thankful for on the mirror so all our friends and family would see when they come to visit us.
Oh.  But, mommy, what does thankful mean?
Well, thankful means lots of things.  Name something you love.
Mommy and Daddy!
So, I bet since you love us so much, you're thankful we're here.  Name something else.
Bubby.  I'm thankful that Bubby is here.  What about you, mommy?
Well, mommy and daddy are thankful for you and Nickolas.
What else mommy?
Well, we are thankful for our jobs.  Some mommies and daddies can't work right now.  (I started to add more and I was interrupted...)
MOMMY...you know what I'm most thankful for?
What Alissa?
TURKEYS!!
Why turkeys?
Because, silly, without turkeys, there'd be no turkey!" 

When I first experienced Thanksgiving Day - I didn't even know it. Long time ago, when my husband and I first met I was living in my own apartment in my hometown in Germany. My husband Jim told me he had a few days off and wanted to spend time with me. I said okay and he showed up at my doorsteps after I arrived from work that evening. Since I did not take any time off from work, I was thinking what could I make for him to eat while I was gone all day at work for the next two or three days. Well, I prepared this very tasty home-made vegetable soup in a big pot for him to heat up over the next few days while I was gone to work. That specific Thursday evening after we ate, he explained to me that in America, Thanksgiving Day was celebrated and people would cook turkey, pies, etc. - turkey! What the heck is a turkey? Really, I did not know what a turkey was; you see, Germans cook for the holidays such as Christmas a goose or a duck and are not accustomed to turkey, at least not in Bavaria. That was the last time we had soup on Thanksgiving Day and since then I'm always reminded being a little embarrassed on Thanksgiving Day on how Jim and I spent our first Thanksgiving Day.

Over 20 years have passed since then and now I'm telling the whole world what I'm thankful for - what about you?

Of course, I'm thankful for my family, children, grand-children, my dogs and friends spending Thanksgiving at my house with all the trimmings - Turkey of course! I'm very grateful that my 85 year old mother made this long trip to Lakeland Florida to spend time with me and my children during the Holiday Season. I'm mostly thankful that my husband is back at his old job after his horrific accident at work that kept him at home for over a year. I'm thankful that my sister-in-law Sally does not have to suffer from bladder cancer anymore because she is looking down on us from heaven above. I'm thankful for all my clients - past, present, and future - that have instilled their trust in me to sell their homes and buyers who depended on me to find their future home and keep me in business. I'm also thankful to all the friends on Active Rain that read, comment, subscribe to my blog and continue to give me the confidence boast I need once and awhile.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!