Thankfulness and Everyday Blessings

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all are busy preparing to enjoy a lovely day surrounded with people you love and delicious food. Before I tie up my turkey-print apron and start cooking, and long before the guests arrive, I want to take a few moments to peacefully reflect on what I am thankful for this year.

This year has been a whirlwind. Looking back on it now, I have many things to be thankful for. I can’t say that I was feeling terribly thankful while we were in the thick of it though. There were an overabundance of difficult days followed by restless nights. Loneliness was a real, raw struggle. Some people pleasantly exceeded my expectations. Others let me down more than they will ever know. Above all, it has been a year for learning new things and re-evaluating priorities.

I am so thankful for home. Home, in the all-encompassing sense of the word. America. Michigan. My house. My family. My friends. English. My car. My church. The familiar. The list goes on…

My husband. He is my best friend and partner in this crazy life. Surviving this year would not have been possible without him. He brings me joy. He loves me in spite of my many flaws. He is my tireless recipe-tester and supporter of this massive blogging project that many people don’t quite understand. He even does dishes.

I’m thankful for my marriage. I’m thankful that our relationship is rock solid, and it could survive the continuous string of gut-wrenching situations we found ourselves dealing with this year. I’m so excited to celebrate our 9^th anniversary next week. (That reminds me…I am also thankful for Caribbean cruises) Looking forward to many more.

My crazy, amazing, hilarious family. Sunday night Skype dates brought more smiles to our lonely Italian apartment than anything else possibly could. Parents who travel 5,000 miles to visit are the icing on the cake. Sisters who take the time to hand-write cards and send goodies in the mail are hard to come by.

I’m thankful for the little things. The little, everyday things that never meant anything to me before.  I’m thankful for my mailbox, where I can pick up my mail without any drama or frustration…and without needing Google Translate. Mopping my floors are a blessing now because it means I don’t have disrespectful, rude strangers digging through my things while pretending to “clean”. I’m thankful for Diet Coke…because Coca Cola Light is gross!

I’m thankful for this blog, and everyone who happens to take a moment to visit. Cooking, baking, recipe-testing, and all of the other work that goes into managing a food blog are my absolute favorite things to do. Playing around in my kitchen brings me joy, and keeps me sane. I love that a recipe on the internet can connect people from all over the world.

I am thankful for my life, and all the ups and downs and crazy weirdness that comes with it. Without all the experiences that won't necessarily make the "highlight reel" in my memory, the truly great, most cherished moments and experiences wouldn't mean as much.

"It seems to me that the quality of a moment in time is not always a reflection of the moment in and of itself- what happens before and what happens after are often what give it its savor." -Michael J. Fox

How about you? What are you thankful for today?