The truth about some of the most beloved American holidays is enough to make a child weep. I know this because my youngest daughter just came to me in tears. “Mommy ruined Thanksgiving!”
You see, they had a Thanksgiving pageant at school earlier this week, and Lily and her friends put on a small Thanksgiving presentation. Lily, with her eight-year-old heart and mind full of the message of hope and love they teach in school, asked Mommy if she loves Thanksgiving as much as she does.
Then, Mommy–who also answers to Tara–made the grave error of telling Lily the truth. She explained the history of the holiday and what it meant to the native population of North America when we arrived in our ships and planted a flag of ownership.
Yeah, that would be enough to ruin a kid’s Thanksgiving.
After Lily finished crying, she and I had a long talk about what Thanksgiving means to me and why it’s my favorite holiday. Unlike Mommy, Mom–that’s me–loves Thanksgiving.
No, I don’t like the inception, but I love the intent. It’s a holiday dedicated to appreciating family and giving thanks for all the fabulous things in life. And, my family has much to be thankful for.
Lily decided it’s okay for her to love a holiday even if Mommy doesn’t. Then she went in search of pretty cards to take to Grandma’s house so we can all write down what we’re thankful for as part of the holiday celebration.
What am I thankful for? 2015 has been a banner year. Here are the highlights:
We have a happy, healthy family. I’m thankful for all of my kids. Especially Buggy because she watched me type this and demanded I list her by name.- Tara proposed.
- We celebrated our twentieth anniversary.
- I joined the staff at Ylva Publishing (Operations Director US–sounds super fancy, doesn’t it?).
- Jeannette entered a drug trial and is kicking some ass in her fight with the nasty, evil, much-hated cancer.
I got a new bike. And permission to ride- Tiffany got her braces off.
- Tara bought a trailer. Step one on the Tiny House Agenda.
- We made it to Idaho this summer to visit with family.
- Wyatt started a bunch of new programs, like speech therapy, occupational therapy, etc, and found a counselor that he’s willing to talk to.
- Lily started counseling.
- We got approved for respite care.
- I made a lot of new friends and built some significant relationships.
- Tara found a tattoo artist she loves. And then proceeded to go crazy with ink fever.
Tara, Michelle, and I got matching tattoos of the Mutant Enemy Grrr Argh zombie.- We added two new dogs to our family. That means we have four. Which is a little nuts. But still.
- The neighbor gave us a tree. A big tree. Cut in chunks. For firewood.
- We get together weekly with Lily’s best friend, her brother, and her mom to go over homeschool lessons. It’s a fabulous partnership.
There are so many other things that happen each and every day that make me crazy happy. Little things, like discovering the Holy Grill and Handle Bar. Or the fire starters Tara made using candle wax, toilet paper rolls, and newspaper. Or the way Wyatt goes to mush when he sees his puppy and has to stop and give him loves. Or how Lily writes songs and performs them for us. Or finding A Wrinkle in Time as a graphic novel. Or the awesome print in my office that a friend texted me about because she knew I’d love it. Or the way Tara lights up when she finds a new Hot Wheels that she doesn’t already own. Or the…
Yeah, the list really is endless. What it all comes down to is, I’m living a charmed life and I’m so very thankful. I hope you and yours enjoy the holiday and take a moment to reflect on what makes you happy to be on the planet.