Preparing for Thanksgiving: What Are You Thankful For? | The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans LLC

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It’s the Saturday before Thanksgiving and most Americans are running around like crazed people trying to prep as much as possible before Thursday. There is the grueling trip to the grocery store to get enough food to feed an army. There is travel to see family and friends who may live far away, or getting the house cleaned up before all the family comes to you. There is the decorating and Pinterest scouring to make sure everything looks “just right”, and kids/aunts/uncles/brothers/sisters/parents/spouses who just add more joy stress to our already busy, crazed schedule.

It’s the most special time of the year when families come together and we talk about all the things we are thankful for, BUT sometimes we don’t feel very festive or thankful.

Maybe it’s been a tough year; deaths in the family, health issues that never seem to go away, money problems that no matter how you stretch and pinch won’t make the paycheck go far enough. Maybe this year you don’t feel like sitting down and being thankful for things, because you don’t feel that you have much to be thankful for. I understand it’s difficult to look past the “here and now” at the big picture, but things could always be worse and we do have so much to be thankful for!

Since I want to set an example for those around me, I am going to start off this week of Thanksgiving and give y’all a list of things for which I am thankful. I hope that this will help you reflect on the good in your life, BEFORE Thanksgiving!

I will start with the basics…. I am thankful for:

  • My Husband – we have been married over 31 years now. How many people can say that?
  • My Kids – both of my sons are healthy. Not everyone can say their kids are healthy.
  • My Home – I love our apartment and although sometimes I think it is WAY.TOO.SMALL, in reality it’s only too small because we have too much stuff and all three of us spend all our time there!!! What a problem to have, huh? Yes, I am thankful for my home!
  • Enough food – we always have enough food in the house. It may not be what we are in “the mood for” but if I try I can prepare multiple meals. Not everyone has the ability to go to the kitchen and prepare healthy meals with plenty of food options.
  • My Friends – I have THE.WORLD’S.BEST.FRIENDS!! Without my friends I would be a sad and lonely person. Without friends, I would probably wallow in my home and be depressed. I am a people person and thrive when around my friends. I realize that not everyone is like this, but I think we all need someone to be there for us when things get tough.
  • My Health – I am healthy and am able to do so many things that I want to do. I may not be as healthy as I want to be, but if I work at my goals, instead of making excuses I will achieve them.
  • My Extended Family – I am thankful that both my parents are still alive and healthy. I am thankful that I have three brothers, as well. I have healthy nieces and a nephew, that are all growing into wonderful people. I have a couple of uncles and a multitude of cousins that are healthy, as well. Not everyone can say they are 50 years old and have so much extended family still alive!

Now….moving on to some things that are sometimes a bit more obscure but still worthy to be thankful for.

  • I am thankful for The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. Everyone here has made me feel like “I can do it” even when I don’t think I can.
  • I am thankful for America. I am thankful for the freedoms that we have. I am thankful for the military that puts their life on the line EVERY.SINGLE.DAY for my freedom. I am thankful that this country has set aside a day of the year to reflect back on the year and give thanks.
  • I am thankful for the internet. Sounds goofy, but I have been able to do things with the internet that I would never have been able to do without it.
  • I am thankful for people that sit down every day and put out workout videos and post them online. These things take time away from their families and friends, and I am able to use their knowledge to better myself, usually for free!
  • I am thankful for charities that are available to help make this world a little bit better. They work tirelessly and get very little notice, except for the last month of the year.

Today and for the rest of this week, please sit down and reflect on the things you are thankful for. Don’t wait until Thursday’s Thanksgiving meal to reflect on all the blessings of your life. Don’t wait until the football game is on. Do it now and do it all week long. Heck, do it all the time, because the reality is, we have so much to be thankful for!!

Please share some of what you are thankful for in the comments! I would love to see some of your list!!

xoxoxo,

Ann