That’s the inside of our 2012 holiday card. This week, the world oozes gratitude. I think that is wonderful though, frankly, I think it would be better if we could spread out the Thanksgiving week explosion-of-thankfulness throughout the year. There are lots of ways I try to put this into practice in my own life and in that of our family. Every Sunday night, at family dinner, we say “compliments” to each person, in which we thank them for something they did that week, big or small (everything from “thank you for driving me to hockey” and “thank you for leaving me and Caroline alone during our playdate” to “thank you for giving birth to me” and “thank you for working so hard so we have food on the table”). In 2012 I asked Grace and Whit what they were most thankful for, and they came up with the list above. This week I asked them again.
Whit
“I’m grateful for a lot of things.”
“Like what?”
“Ummm…. well, I mean, okay, well, that I have a computer and food and I get to spend time with you and you’re not always at the office. I’m thankful for everything I have because I know a lot of people don’t have enough.”
Grace
“I am grateful for my family, for my friends, for my teachers, for the food I eat, for my parents who work hard, for all the toys and things and clothes I have. I’m grateful that you can enroll us in sports. I’m grateful for books. I’m grateful for my fish.”
Matt
“I’m grateful for my father’s immense good fortune and health.” (the full miraculous story of my father-in-law’s heart transplant is here and he has since had a kidney transplant).
What are you thankful for?
What a beautiful card and Sunday night tradition. I am thankful for my beautiful children and husband. Happy thanksgiving to you and your family!
I’m thankful for writers who sustain me, among many other things. Happy Thanksgiving to you, Lindsey.
Love your tradition, Lindsey. It’s wonderful. I’m thankful for so many things, but right now mostly I’m thankful that I had a choice to help prevent cancer.
I am thankful for freedom, family, friends, the opportunity to travel across the country several times a year, and really wicked blogs that remind me to acknowledge all the things in my life that I am thankful for and free to be thankful for.
“I think it would be better if we could spread out the Thanksgiving week explosion-of-thankfulness throughout the year.”
Yes, please. I love seeing all the gratitude this week but seeing it all year, from all these people, would be amazing.