Today has been a day of family, friends and food. Kaysie and I started a new tradition today. We went to the "Friends and Family" class at Kaysie's martial arts school and we took our friend Aunt Pat. It was really fun. I learned a few things and got a great work out. I am thankful for Kaysie's instructors Matt and Jody they are so patient even with an old out of shape gal like me. Her form Chung Kuo Chuan takes a lot of focus and concentration. I was amazed. It's one thing to watch from the sidelines, but quite another to be out there kicking and punching. After the class we came home, got cleaned up and got into our PJ's for a PJ Thanksgiving. How nice is that? I've spent the majority of my day in the kitchen, but that's ok. That's where I like to be. Before dinner we watched The Vegitale's version of the Little Drummer Boy. It was really cute. Of course it's raining, raining, raining, but that's what PJ days are for!
Last week I started a gratitude list of things I was thankful for. I made it to 50, and that was amazing to me. I looked back over the list and they were all things that I truly appreciate in my life. Just to clarify, these were things that were beyond God, my family, my friends, my health. These were all things that really make my life a pleasure, and in some cases peaceful and a lot less stressful. Little things that I may have taken for granted in the past. One of the first ones was clean hot running water. I had never really given any thought to that, and yet there are people who have never experienced a hot shower in doors. Makes you think doesn't it? When I went to China to adopt my daughter, I had a very eye opening trip, especially once we left Bejing. Once we were in Kaysie's home town the scenery dramatically changed. Bejing is China's shinning city, Shenyang, while beautiful in spots, not so much. Trash in the street and people begging because that's all they can do. They told us not to drink the water under any circumstances. The hotel provided bottled drinking water. We were told to keep our mouths closed during our shower and to only brush our teeth with the bottled water. That was the first time I had experienced no clean water from the tap. While we had hot water for a shower, we couldn't drink it.
Another one of my gratitudes was fresh air. In the Pacific NW we have the freshest air of anyplace I've ever lived. Just when the air gets icky with pollution or just plain gunk the rains come along and washes it all clean. It smells sooo good out here. That's one of my favorite smells - the clean air during or just after a rain storm. There are places in our own country where it is unsafe to be outside because the pollution is so bad. I can't imagine not being able to be outside because the air is unsafe to breathe. Do people wonder why more of our children are suffering from allergies and asthma? I read someplace that if everybody took public transportation once a week our air would be 50% cleaner! That's a little thing that makes a big difference.
As I scrolled down the list I found another one #26 - the peace that falls over my home just before bedtime. It's that moment when you realize the day is done. Kaysie is in bed, the dishes are done, lunches for the next day packed and in the fridge. It's that point in the day when you sigh and let the stillness of the night settle over you, preparing you to rest your body and soul. That peace is a blessing to me. It allows me to thank God for another day and to settle in for a good night's rest. All the cares of the day evaporate and sleep comes easy.
These are just a few of the things that I am truly thankful for. They are all small and often times are over looked. My promise to myself is to keep the list going. Not on facebook, but in a place where I can read it from time to time. To reflect on all that is good in my life and be grateful for the things that I have. I think sometimes we often get a bad case of the "I wants," and we fail to realize that we have so much already. I hope this Thanksgiving evening finds you full of turkey, with the ones you love and a heart full of gratitude for all the little things that your life has blessed you with. Cheers!
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