A grateful heart

My wife had Christmas songs playing on the stereo. I’m sure Michael Bublé was somewhere on the playlist. Insert face palm here. How can I compete with that? Yes, I’m straying from my story. In any event, the Thanksgiving turkey was fresh from the oven and the house was full of robust smells. The table was set. We were all prepared to celebrate, but we couldn’t help but notice what was missing. 

The biggest absence being the empty spots around the table.

Two Thanksgivings ago, we couldn’t get together with our extended family – no family from either side. To top it off, my middle son would be away too, deployed as part of the U.S. Marines. We would be limited to our merry band of four. Determined to still celebrate and grateful, we ended up having a small Thanksgiving. We tried to make up for people missing by facetiming everyone, but the mood was still mellow. 

When we sit down tomorrow, we still won’t have everyone home, our son again will not be home, but my list of things I’ll be grateful for will be long. I’m grateful that we survived the pandemic and have so far survived the crazy inflation and flat market, natural and man-made disasters, and everything else in between.

We’re fortunate:

• My youngest son started college and seems to love it. My two oldest kids are in the real world and are making smart adult decisions. I would love to help them out more, but they’re doing great on their own. 
• I have a job that helps pay our bills.
• My wife hasn’t kicked me out of the house yet for that Bublé fellow. I know she’s thought about it, but I seem to still be in the running.

I couldn’t ask for more. Oh, I’m a spoiled brat like everyone else, I’m sure an hour after posting this blog, I’ll be grumbling about this or that, but right now in this moment, I thank God for our health and our many blessings and offer best wishes for everyone coming across my page.

Happy Thanksgiving.