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Showing posts with label gratitude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gratitude. Show all posts

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Today I thought I would share some of my thoughts. This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with a Sunday Brunch the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I attended a family wedding on Saturday, and we figured we would celebrate as a family while I was there so I wouldn't have to make the drive again. I have to say it felt so good to realize that I had a week without any real demands or plans. I feel like I am able to relax this week and it is wonderful! I bought some premarinaded turkey tips to have with some mashed potatoes and stuffing. However, Hazel is eating at a friend's house so it may just be Steve and myself. 


I have been reflecting on how grateful I am for my blessings. I am very happy that Hazel seems very happy with her school and social life. I am happy we realized something was wrong with our little kitty, Fidget, and got him to the animal hospital in time for the threads to be removed without having damage. I am grateful for my job, my family and our pets. There are so many things to be grateful for in my life. As I was thinking about the holiday, I always wonder why we bring it back to the pilgrims and Native Americans of Plymouth. At the time there were other colonists on the East coast, so the pilgrims were not the first Europeans in these parts. 



Sarah Josepha Hale is the reason we celebrate Thanksgiving still. She was a devout Christian and thought the entire country should celebrate Thanksgiving as one. Some states had their own Thanksgiving days previously. Although she was from New England, I wonder if she truly meant Thanksgiving to be a day to remember the myth of the pilgrims and Wampanoag celebrating back in 1600s. I also wonder why we focus so much on Plymouth. At the time there were other colonies already in the United States. The Mayflower itself was off course for where it was to land in America. One of the big things the pilgrims did was establish the Mayflower Compact which carried over to setting up the government of the United States many years later. I truly believe the idea of Thanksgiving should not be about remembering the history that has been distorted over the years, but rather a time to reflect on what each of us is thankful for this year. It is a time to gather with family and friends and enjoy each other's company. It is a time to personally reflect on your own gratitude. Whether you are religious or not, it does not matter as each of us has something to be thankful for. 


So I hope today you will take time to reflect on your own life and consider giving thanks for all the blessings in it. With a day to myself, I know I will be doing just that.


I know that I am grateful for my family and friends, my job, our pets, our lives,... I am also thankful for my inner peace that I have found lately, and the friendships Hazel has. There are so many wonderful things to be thankful for and it is so important for us to remember them and give them thanks! Over the years I have shared many books, crafts, and fun facts related to Thanksgiving in case you are looking for something to do today. 



Happy Thanksgiving!! Time to Express Gratitude

 


In the United States, today is Thanksgiving. Although I have become extremely busy in my nonblog life, I wanted to take time to talk about what I am thankful for this year. I will admit it has been a year full of frustration, sadness as well as growth and happiness. The past couple of months have been very hard on my family. 

Finding Oneself as the Pandemic is Hopefully Ending

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

The last two years have been tough on everyone. Everyone I talk to seems to be struggling in some way or another. And it is not because they lost a loved one (though many have) or that they or a family member caught Covid (though many have). It is because we are all tired. Tired of masks. Tired of restrictions. But mostly tired of fighting. America seems more divided than ever. We were divided by politics and that division has grown. We have been divided by racism which is coming to a forefront. Now we are also divided about masks, vaccinations and more. If a person or company does not have the same beliefs, people are fighting, debating and at sometimes getting violent. Then add in that there is a shortage of workers. Everywhere seems to be hiring and they are operating understaffed. People's patience is not there, and they are being rude to the few people who do show up to serve us. It is such a mess. All of these things have gotten me feeling down and miserable. For 2022 I have picked positivity as my word of the year. Let's face it we all need more positivity in our lives (just not positive Covid tests).

Easy Christmas Thank You Notes -- Free Printable


Did you have a nice holiday? We had such a great time with family. It is always nice to be back with my parents and sisters and to see my nephew!! We do not get to see my oldest sister and nephew all that much since they live in North Carolina. Hazel got just about everything she wanted and some things she didn't know that she wanted (or that they existed or they would have been on her wish list). Now that Christmas is over it is time to write the thank you notes. As a beginner reader and writer I wanted to make this task relatively easy on her and me. I made up some fill-in-the-blank thank you notes.

Being Thankful Tree






Today I thank God for my loving husband!! And that he gets to rest this weekend!!

Month of Gratitude and Virtual Book Club for Kids

Don't forget to enter and vote for your favorite Halloween costumes!!
halloweencontest-002
For the month of November I always try to focus on my blessings. This is something I know I should do more often, but I always set aside November since it holds our Thanksgiving to make sure I focus on it. This year besides doing something with Hazel on gratitude, I am going to post this lovely picture and one thing I am thankful for that day or as I like to word it, "Today I thank God for...." and I will fill in the blank. I would love it if you would join me in this month of gratitude!

Today I thank God for my amazing daughter! She is so loving and wonderful!

VirtualBookClub

If you have been following my blog for any length of time you probably know I have joined an amazing group of bloggers (see the list below) for a monthly Virtual Book Club for Kids. Each month we read a book (or books) by the chosen author of the month and then do an activity to go with the book. On the third Monday of the month or after, we post about the book we chose and our activity and open a blog hop. The blog hop is open for everyone to share their books and activities to go along with the author of the month. November's author is Tomie de Paola! (For a list of all the year's authors, go to my Special Event Page!)
So go choose a book by Tomie dePaola to read and do an activity and join us on November 19th for the blog hop!

The bloggers who host the blog hop with me are:


What I have really enjoyed with the Virtual Book Club for Kids is learning about new authors and seeing so many creative ideas with the different stories.  If you have missed any of the months, feel free to check out our Pinterest board.