give thanks

It's Thanksgiving morning. The hubs is fast asleep after working endlessly the last two days. Brody is in the living room stacking cups and Lola is snoozing snug as a bug in the wrap tucked in close to my heart. There's a dirty plate on the table, a crusty fry pan on the stove, and a sink full of dishes. Half our Christmas decorations are up, the other half still in bins stacked behind the couch. Diapers are scattered across the living room rug and a menagerie of toys join them. The honest truth, I couldn't be more thankful for this family picture this morning. This life that is messy, imperfect and sometimes a little chaotic, I would not trade it. Everything about it is proof we are living. We are here and we are present and it's so beautiful.

I don't really need a day to remind me to be thankful. I give thanks constantly throughout my days. I watch the news full of sad stories, rough stories, anger and outrage and I am thankful for my children's good health, my husbands steady job, the roof over our heads and the food that is always in our fridge. I whisper thanks in early morning hours when I am breastfeeding Lola, thankful that I am able to nourish her. I tell Brody be careful for the hundredth time as he attempts yet another acrobatic jump off the furniture, and I am thankful for his strong able body. I get frustrated at the hard long hours snow removal requires of my husband, but I remember on those nights he is gone to be full of thanks. The snow fall is how he provides for us. His demanding hours provide the income so I can stay home with our babies. The endless piles on our counters, kitchen table and any other available surface drive me mad, but I find a place in my heart to say a quick thanks because we go without wanting. Everything I see, it's all symbolic of how our needs are fulfilled. It's not always pretty, and yes, I complain, but if I just take a second, instead of complaining I need only to find something to be thankful for. It is not hard.

Gifts are all around us, we just have to open our hearts to see. We just have to allow thanks to fall from our lips and those gifts multiply.