meditations of a blueberry

Thankful. It's a word that we often throw around without really thinking about what it means. We say "Thank you" and are annoyed when someone else doesn't observe this societal nicety. We teach our children to say "thank you" but do we teach them what it means? Do they truly understand what it means to be thankful for something? Do we understand? I find myself thinking tonight about thankfulness. It's only right, being Thanksgiving weekend. Tonight, my house is quiet. The baby is sleeping and mrblueberry took E to the hockey game. And so, I am alone in my thoughts about thankfulness. It seems to happen every year around this time . What am I truly thankful for this year? I'm thankful for the roof over my head, the furnace I can turn on, food in my fridge, and the lights that light my home. I'm thankful for ability to stay home with my boys, to not have to return to work. It's hard, but we make it work, and I am thankful that we are able to...

I realized something today. In the midst of family and friends on Thanksgiving weekend, I realized that I am a very blessed woman. I have fabulous friends who know just the right things to say at just the right times. I have family who I know would be there for me in a heartbeat if I ever needed them to be. I have a husband who is not only my best friend, but is my confidante and lover and treats me so. I have a son whose very smile brightens up the worst day or night. I am able to have pets and both of them are in tune with me and know when I need extra snuggles. I live in a time where I get to choose whether or not I want to return to work after having a baby. I get to go and make myself heard in an election by voting. If I am cold, I can turn on the furnace and not have to choose between heat or food. I don't have to worry about stepping outside to gunfire, or landmines, or some terrible disease. My biggest concern is not whether or not I will have enough food and water to give ...