Happy "Thankful" Month

With the beginning of November come thoughts of Thanksgiving, turkey, pumpkin pies, and all things tasty and tempting. But truly, I believe there are many more things for which we should be thankful, and why only one month of the year? Thanksgiving is a definite celebration of a period in history to be honored, but in these days of economic woes and employment worries, I thought it might be nice to schedule an array of guests to share posts of what they appreciate most.

I'm beginning the line-up with one of my greatest appreciations in life, my Mom. She's eighty-five today, and I'm so thankful that she's still part of my life. At least the small role she plays from 2000 miles away.

To see her, you wouldn't consider her "heroine" qualities, but I'm here to tell you I've learned a lot about strength from her. For most of her life she was unskilled and unemployed, but when my Dad's health failed, she was forced to find a job to help support and sustain our family. She also took care of her father who was in a nursing home because of Alzheimer's, and a mother who relied on her daughter for everything!

Mom sacrificed for her children, and although I left home at eighteen to marry and didn't witness the real hardships faced by younger siblings without the same mother I enjoyed, I thank God every day for all the contributions Mom made to the person I am today. She stepped in to my "hero" role when my father passed, and between their influences, I think I turned out to be a pretty good person.

Our family doesn't enjoy the closeness it once did. A rift has removed me from the family tree of one of my sisters, but I'm thankful Mom doesn't acknowledge the foolishness. Like in politics today, I wonder, why can't we all just get along!!!