A Month of Gratitude

Last month, many bloggers took on a 31-day challenge.  I loved the idea, but did NOT feel up to committing to post EVERY.  SINGLE.  DAY.  Teaching, being a newlywed, and blogging daily sounded like a recipe for disaster.

Mr. Spin and I joke that in every season, the next upcoming holiday is my "favorite holiday."  I have been known to claim both Halloween and Independence Day and my all-time faves, but I have to say, the older I get, the more I like Thanksgiving.  Coming from a family of three within a very large extended family on my dad's size (he was the youngest of six children, five of whom settled in Virginia and one of whom moved to South Carolina) and a close little family on my mom's side (she is the middle of three, and she and her younger brother are the East Coast clan- her older brother and his daughter and granddaughter are in California!).  Since my dad was a long-distance truck driver, there was never a guarantee that he would be home for Thanksgiving.  Many of my childhood Thanksgivings were spent at my maternal grandmother's house since she lived alone.

In more recent years, my mom and I floated around on Thanksgiving - wherever we got an invite, we went.  I'm not sure yet where Mr. Spin and I will spend the holiday this year, but I know that my mom will be a part of the celebration and wherever we go we will be with people we love, sharing old memories and making new ones.  I love Thanksgiving because it really is all about the time-spending.  There's no pressure to have the best costume, the snazziest fireworks display, the most romantic gesture, or the coolest present.  Turkey and comfort-food sides are always going to be yummy no matter how many bowls are on the table.

Recently I've been waking up in awe of how fortunate I am.  Perhaps its the shorter commute that's made me more of a morning person.  I've realized, though, that I don't just want to *feel* gratitude.  I want to *show* it.  And that's what I'm going to do, and really focus on this November.  I'll post some thoughts here every Thursday this month.