Still grateful after all these years

We're very thankful this Thanksgiving, for our friends, our families and readers like you. Tell us: What are you thankful for?

By Melita

I am thankful for...

• My husband, who never fails to tell it like it is. Just ask the wait staff. Or an unlucky someone with stuff in her teeth.
• My 3-year-old daughter, for being such a thoughtful, gentle and determined little soul.
• Living solely by my wits, for a year and counting.
• Cheddar cheese. I live in Wisconsin now, but my love affair with cheese began many miles away.
• My new bicycle -- transportation, exercise and cool wind in my hair, all rolled into one.
• The New Yorker. Like kiddie vitamins -- healthy, but yummy and chewable, too.
• Banishing the waif-like ghosts haunting my closet. Funny, all I had to do was give away the clothing that will never fit me again.
• Splurging on the iPod speakers that got me hooked up with music again after years of silence.
• New insulation in the walls -- may it work similar wonders on the wallet this winter.
• Not one, but two book groups. And the insightful, creative women in them.
• My heating pad. It is truly the plug-in drug.
• The most spectacular autumn in ages.
• A happy childhood.
• A sense of history, and the certainty that this [fill in the blank], too, shall pass.

By Kristin

I'm thankful for…

• My baby girl and her wonderfully soft face that I could spend hours nuzzling.  By the way baby, how is it possible that you are turning 4? 
• My husband, who is my co-reproducer, family provider, and best friend. A special thanks for letting me remain unemployed this year, honey.
• Our family, who loves and supports us every day and has made me the person I am … even the parts that make me a perfectionist and total control freak (Nana, sorry to say, but I think I blame you for that).
• The tranquility of our small town backyard and the insane level of comfort that so many of us are able to live in.
• The fact that people are different. That they are unique. That my daughter says that someone has "white skin" or "tan skin" or "brown skin" in the same way she says they have blue eyes. 
• Our friends, who provide companionship and humor in our lives. They also give us people to say "cheers" with on a very regular basis.
• Great food, great wine, and Epicurious.com. The turkey is brining!
• My computer, my blog, and my amazing circle of blogging friends, who remind me on a daily basis that I am sane (or that we are all crazy).
• Soy milk, canola oil margarine, soy cheese, Scharffen-Berger chocolate and all of the products that allow me to make my food-allergic daughter the things that every child loves. The EpiPen and Benadryl make the list, too.
• Noggin, Playhouse Disney, PBS, Tivo, DVDs and any other possible electronic babysitter I can find.

By Amy M.

I'm thankful for...

• My 3-year-old son, whose sweetness, sense of humor, intelligence and even stubbornness (having a mind of one's own is a good thing, right?) reminds me daily that being his mother is the most important job I'll ever have.
• My husband, who in many ways is a better parent than I am (and not a bad spouse, either).
• My parents, and especially my parents' relationship with my son -- they would win "grandparents of the year" without even trying.
• My extended family, especially my grandparents, with whom I'm lucky to have a very close relationship.
• A job that I enjoy and that is flexible, allowing me to spend more time with Alex.
• A home of my own with evidence throughout of my life with Brian and my supportive relationship with my family -- thanks, Mom and Dad, for all the pieces of art you didn't have room for!
• Being healthy and fit.

And on a lighter note (in other words, the "little things" that make me happy on a daily basis):

• Wegmans (grocery store) and Target within 5 minutes from my house.
• Being able to park right behind my office on a college campus notorious for inconvenient parking.
• Being able to wear jeans to work.
• When there are current magazines to read at the gym.
• My car's heated seats.
• My cell phone.
• E! Entertainment Television and VH-1, where I can always find a show that allows me to indulge my passion for pop culture and celebrity gossip.
• My strange ability to read while running on a treadmill; I run a lot, which means I can enjoy one of my favorite pastimes while doing something good for my health.
• Sugar-free Jell-o with fat-free Redi-Whip. What other "dessert" can you consume in mass quantities without worrying about calories?
• 100-calorie bags of microwave popcorn.
• My "collection" of striped turtleneck sweaters -- because I can wear jeans to work, they make getting dressed very easy!
• Panera, Roly Poly, Subway, Qdoba, restaurants with food that is fast, relatively inexpensive and tasty!
• The town where I live. If you're not going to live in a city, I don't think you can beat a college town!

By Ellen

I'm thankful for...

• Relative sanity (depends on which day you ask me) and so far, good health.
• My loving husband, Herb. We've survived a new marriage, family blending, career challenges, a new puppy, his-and-her furniture and contacts with sometimes-toxic ex-spouses ... and still have the hots for each other. Who says married love and lust after 50 doesn't happen??!
• My darling children, Megan and Jonathan, who have blessed my life now for 18 and 22 years respectively. The older they get, the more I love them ... and the more I like them as human beings! It's been an amazing journey with them from polka-dotted blankets and playing patty-cake to packing them up for college and foreign travels.
• The stepmothering lessons I'm learning via my 14-year-old stepdaughter, Devin. I'll let you know what those lessons are, exactly, as soon as I pull myself off the ceiling. (That's a joke. Kind of.) I hope we'll emerge from these years as good friends and tolerant housemates, if not exactly mom and daughter.
• My mother, Evelyn, whose words seem to be coming out of my own mouth these days. "Sit up straight!" "Pretty is as pretty does." "All things work together for good." "When in doubt, say a prayer." Thanks to her for wise and wonderful advice; I retained more than either of us ever dreamed I would!
• My job. I really, really like what I do for a living, which is development and marketing for a children's museum. The museum is beautiful, the children delightful (most of the time; forget the projectile vomit I found myself cleaning up last week ... twice in one day) and my fellow staff members have become good friends and compatriots. Here's to getting up in the morning excited about the coming day!
• The holiday season that allows us all to be quirky, silly, goofy, childlike and full of wonder once again.
• My father, who has been gone now 6 years but who lives forever in my heart and the hearts of all who knew him. I miss his smile, his unbridled optimism about life and his complete acceptance of me. What a great dad he was! In fact, as an adopted child, I must be one of the luckiest people in the world to have grown up with the parents I had and I'm forever grateful that 50 years ago my birth mother took the steps she did to make sure I had a safe, happy home.
• The Internet, which daily saves me by offering up medical and editorial advice, foolproof recipes, the answers to questions like "Who do I pick for my social studies essay?" and the writing of my fellow DotMoms. I could do without the spam that sneaks by even the most rigid controls, but I'll put up with almost anything to be able to do my Christmas shopping online this year!
• My three groups of special women friends from over the years and the fact that no matter how far away we live from each other, or that we see each other only occasionally, I know I have their love, friendship and support and they have mine. I could pick up the phone and call any one of them for help and would receive it, and I hope they feel the same way about me. I'm truly grateful for the friendship of strong and funny and caring women

Here's what Nancy, Julie, Amy R., Helene, and Mindy said they were grateful for in 2003.

Now it's your turn, complete this sentence: "I'm thankful for..."

Comments

[AGK]

I'm thankful for each new day with my family...and that they all have the same sense of humor and can laugh and play with me every day :)

[Kris]

My list is on my blog, too.
Happy Thanksgiving!

http://wondermom.blogspot.com/2005/11/my-thanksgiving-top-10.html

[Brenda]

1. My husband, someone who loves me unconditionally (most days anyway), is the father of my two children, honestly and truly a great friend to me, and who lets me spend his money on shoes and things I don't need from Target.

2. My son, Ethan, my firstborn, my mini-me, my source for fantastic cuddle sessions and song and dance shows, my inspiration to be a better parent everyday.

3. My son, Colby, my youngest, my husband's mini-me, my fave goofball charmer and future class clown, my sly Cheshire cat with a smile to match.

4. My Mom, because she's my mom and everyone needs to show gratitude to and for their mothers.

5. My Dad, rest his soul, because he's my dad and everyone needs to show gratitude to and for their fathers.

6. My older brother and younger sister because blood is definitely thicker than water. Having siblings has been and continues to be an enriching life experience.

7. My husband's parents. My sons are extremely blessed to have them as their grandparents and from that comes my gratitude.

8. My closest and bestest girlfriends, Beth and Anda. Even though one lives in another state and the other lives several hours away, they are never far from my mind, heart, or the phone.

9. My extended family flung as close as a few states away and as far as the Philippines and Japan.

10. The new friends that we have made and continue to make since we moved to Northeast Florida a year ago.

11. The fact that my basic necessities of food, clothing, shelter are taken care of.

12. "Western Plumbing" - because a neighbor, who is traveling to China to adopt a child, has told me that she may have to use a "squat pot", or simply, a hole in the ground, as a toilet when they reach their child's rural province.

13.Internet and high speed connection. Makes emailing pictures of my sons to far flung relatives and friends so much faster.

14. Hour long, full body massages.

15. Birthdays and the cake that inevitably accompanies them.

16. Things that come in the mail addressed to me, especially when it's my birthday.

17. The latest Anita Shreve book - she's one of my fave authors.
The latest Jennifer Weiner book - she's another of my fave authors.

18. My iPod. An excellent buffer between me and the sounds of sibling rivalry and The Wiggles on a never-ending video loop.

19. My dog, Cosmo, currently keeping me company as I type this.

20. An excellent website that is Dotmoms, to help keep my humor and perspective as I navigate the waters of parenting.

[Tonya]

My list is on my blog. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! http://theunrepentantgallivanter.blogspot.com