I grew up in a big family. My parents have ten children and nine of the ten are married currently and all ten of the children have children of their own, and some of those children have children of their own. In fact at present my parents have a total of 70 something children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Being part of a huge family is especially fun during the holidays when at least some of us are able to get together and enjoy celebrating our family traditions for Thanksgiving.

My personal favorite tradition for Thanksgiving has always been that at the dinner table as we eat our turkey feast we go around the table and one at a time everyone shares what they are most thankful for. Now given that we are so many people at the table it’s a good thing our plates are plenty full of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, and all the rest. And I’m getting hungry just thinking about how scrumptious it will be!  But the reason that is my favorite tradition is because it makes each of us reflect on what things we’ve learned this past year and what those experiences have helped us to gain a greater appreciation for in our lives. As I get to sit and hear each person share what they are most thankful for I always feel so inspired to recognize how blessed we each are. And as I get the opportunity to share what I am most thankful for I am always reminded that life is such a beautiful gift – with all its hard times and challenges and even heartbreaks, there comes so much growth and development of character depth as we learn to overcome, develop patience, and grow our faith. And for every hard time and challenge there are as many or more happy times and things we are blessed with – our families, our friends, our opportunities, our home, our clothing, our food, our health, our faith, and the angels that watch over us. Life truly is good.

I am so thankful for the many blessings in my life. I am thankful for all of you who take time to read my blog and for the messages you share back with me. I wish each and every one of you a marvelous Thanksgiving full of family, food, fun, and fond memories that can be cherished forever.  I don’t post a blog on Wednesday night or Thursday night due to the holiday weekend but I look forward to talking with all of you again in my next blog post on Sunday night.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! And God Bless…

~Amy Rees Anderson