Thankfulness.

 

     Thankfulness is a wonderful posture of the heart. It is customary at most Thanksgiving gatherings that the question, "what are you thankful for?" comes up. There are typical answers: friends, family, spouses, etc. But I was struck this year by how valuable those responses truly are. Living nearly one thousand miles away from the rest of my family, it is understandable that I would miss them. I will be honest though--that emotion is not my gut response. Conceptually, yes, I wish I could be closer to join in on birthdays and monthly gatherings, but the past few weeks have been starkly different.
    I have not been in my momma's home in almost a year and a half. The holidays stir up all kinds of emotion and it feels like this year I have hit a peak. Maybe the stash of strong feelings are no longer kept at bay. Maybe I have had a few extra moments to think about missing family (though I am not sure that is the case because our schedule is typically pretty packed). Maybe I am just maturing and finding that family really is so precious and important. I get to spend six days at home over the Christmas holiday and even writing down those words puts a smile on my face yet draws me to tears.
    I am so thankful for my family. I am thankful for the fifteen of us who are incredibly different, yet bonded by blood and vows to spend the rest of our lives together. We are a typical bunch, with some difficult interactions, yet I look forward to each minute I will spend in their presence this holiday.

Currently Listening: Christmas music