Thanksgiving, My New Favorite Holiday

For so long I've been thinking Christmas was my favorite holiday. After all, it's the day we celebrate God sending His perfect son to live amongst the rabble of humanity. Christmas is also the holiday where we all get presents. Everybody loves receiving gifts, right?! Hopefully, at Christmas we also enjoy 'giving' presents, too. Who doesn't enjoy watching kids eyes light up as they open Christmas presents? Christmas is a great time of year!


But I'm thinking Thanksgiving is even better. {I know you're thinking "Well, Meggy girl, get on with it and tell us WHY you've decided Thanksgiving is better than Christmas!" (I was right, wasn't I? Remember, I ALWAYS know what you're thinking!)}

So, here's my answer. Thanksgiving is a time where you don't EXPECT anything for yourself. Wow! A day dedicated to being grateful for what you already have. What a concept!!! Those pilgrims really had the right idea, didn't they? Then...you get great food on top of that? Wow! Food is sure in MY top ten!

We can all list things we're thankful for in a general sense... our faith, family, friends, a roof over our heads, our church, etc. Add to those -- wonderful visits with family and/or friends, a plethora of foods and tasty treats to choose from, a day off from work (for most), and wonderful store sales on Friday. Those are all great.

But on this Thanksgiving, I'll share a few MORE than just general thankfulness. Maybe its that AGE thingy creeping up on me. Remember, I'm blogging for Bex. One day, I'm hoping she will care what her dear mother thinks. (Not that she doesn't now...some of the time...)

Maybe it was talking on the phone with an old friend I haven't talked to in about 30 years. THIRTY YEARS!!! I don't even feel 30 years old yet...how can I remember somebody from that long ago? Even with my half-heimers I can remember the names of two of her dogs...walking on the sidewalk in our little town singing "Feeling Groovy"...I think I even remember the date of her birthday (Jan 10?). Our lives have definitely taken different paths since Jr. High, but with technology we found each other again. I'm thankful for that.

The thing I'm MOST thankful for is the fact that Jesus died on the cross with ME on His mind. It still is beyond me how He could bless me so much. You can read my testimony here. Without Christ in my life, the rest is just foll-der-rall...

But I'll list a few other things that are important to me anyway...you know me...Miss Wordy!

I'm thankful I have a husband who is a jack-of-all-trades. He is wonderfully talented in so many areas. The only thing we've figured out that he absolutely cannot do is...give birth. He can do pretty much anything else. After years and years, Mr. Fix-It is totally thankful to finally work for someone that appreciates his experience, talent, and integrity. He's like a kid "getting to go" to work every day. He goes to work for fun! At his age, that ain't nothin to sneeze at!!!!

I'm also thankful that "I" have a job where my boss appreciates the job I do. I've only worked for one other person in my life who ever let me know that I was appreciated. I have my dream job: work when I want to, leave when I want to, take the day off when I want to...and I get PAID, very well! How could I ask for anything more? When we decided that I would go back to work, I had hoped to find a job that I could put up with for about 10 months until Bex car was paid off...then I'd quit and be able to go back to being a SAHM. But now, I'm enjoying my job so much, I hope it lasts forever!


I'm thankful to have a vehicle that rides like a dream...even though it's almost 10 years old. No payments is something I'm thankful for too! Until I went without for three months, I didn't realize how blessed I am to have wheels to go when I want without having to deal with someone else's schedule! (Okay, I guess that sounds a bit selfish...but I AM thankful!) I even get to decide which radio station to listen to in my car! Wahoo!


I'm thankful to have an almost 17-yo daughter who knows and loves Jesus, and thinks alcohol, drugs and boys are a waste of time (I added the boys part...thinking positively! LOL!) Yeah, we get into squabbles a bit (unfortunately, she's not perfect like her mother)...but for the most part, she's the child many parents dream about. God has blessed us good.


I'm thankful for the State of Florida who is paying for my sweet Bex to attend college with no tuition through their dual-enrollment program. Adding to that, I'm thankful for Brenda Dickinson, our homeschool lobbyist, who fought for homeschoolers to qualify for this program! She has spent many years protecting our rights to educate our own children. I'm thankful I had all those years with Bex...even though they've come to an end... {sniff, sniff...somebody pass me a Kleenex!}

I'm thankful for dear friends. God has blessed me with friends at church, within the homeschool community, in BloggyWorld and elsewhere that make my life so rich. What would I do without dear friends who crush me in Facebook Scrabble? As I write, my sweet friend, Mrs. Becky is still hanging in there even though she has become bedridden. She's been a Hospice client for nearly 5 years! She has surprised everybody. She has blessed me immensely through the years.

Enough of the mushy stuff...I'm also thankful that my sweet SIL in Chiefland hosts Thanksgiving at her house! I only have to cook a few things, don't have to clean my house, don't have to deal with all the leftovers, and get to enjoy cable tv with TiVo. This is life!

I'm thankful this Thanksgiving, my new favorite holiday. How about you?