Thankful

I didn't forget Thanksgiving Day. It was very much on (what's left of) my mind as I enjoyed a wonderful weekend with my family at my mom's house.

We celebrated my mom's birthday and the 26th anniversary of my first date with Jared. These dates are appropriately aligned with Thanksgiving Day.

We visited my grandmother, who has lived 89 years very independently and in great health, but who has recently become dependent on 24-hour assistance. As we visted with her I couldn't tell if she really recognized us or was just being polite, like someone at a party who can't recall the familiar face who greets them. And as someone who has become quite familiar with neurological tests, I couldn't help but notice things that made me appreciate the easy daily functioning that is so quickly taken for granted.

Mom and I played many games of Scrabble, and I won most of them, until one game when I got all of the "I" and "O" vowels and not much else. I tried to think of Corrie Ten Boom (the author of The Hiding Place) as she would have tried to come up with a reason to be grateful for those vowels. All I could come up with was that I wouldn't be able to spell my name without them.

Mom and I also enjoyed the thrill of the hunt during Black Friday. We pulled into the first store at 4am when it opened, and emerged victorious with a small list of items just in time to make the opening of the next store. A few more stores later, and a quick breakfast at I-HOP, and we were home when the others awoke. I was grateful for the opportunity for adventure.

During our adventure we visited a bookstore that used to carry my book, and when we didn't see it on the shelf we inquired and were told by the store employees that it was out of print and no longer available for ordering! I became very thankful for a quick-responding publisher, who assured me that my book was most definitely in print and prominently displayed in their latest catalog, and that sometimes booksellers will say anything to avoid the embarrassment of being sold out when the author comes in. And I became extra grateful for our local bookseller, who always keeps my book in stock, and who is ordering more copies for my upcoming signing event. (Which, by the way, ***shameless plug alert*** will be on December 20 from 12-2pm at Moon's Bookstore in Dallas, and will feature other authors and artists, too!)

We went to church with Mom on Sunday, and saw familiar faces from our days long ago when we lived in the area. Together we expressed our gratitude for the Savior, whose life and mission become more meaningful to me all the time. And then we drove home slowly (but safely) with thousands of other drivers, to find that all was well and ready for a new week with jobs and school and responsibilities to keep us busy. Much to be grateful for.

That weekend alone represented so many countless blessings. There are more yet to be acknowledged, and there are many more yet to be discovered. But we know from whence these blessings come, and that knowledge gives us cause to be thankful and hopeful in any circumstance.

With the Thanksgiving weekend behind us as a happy memory, our thoughts quickly turned to the celebration of Christmas. We have become a blur, finishing year-end projects and decking our halls. It occurred to me that I hadn't updated my blog in a long time, and I hope that I haven't lost readers with so many gaps between posts. But all of this bustle is an exhausting but wonderful reminder of what I am still capable of doing, and it reminds me that the day for giving thanks is never really over, no matter what the calendar says.