give thanks

so the new thing apparently is to post on facebook for the month of November (possibly till Christmas or till thanksgiving I’m not quite sure) every day the post is about “what I’m thankful for” – people post a thing a day that they are thankful for. while I think this is incredibly important because it “forces” people to think about everything they’re thankful for I find it slightly amusing that people find the need to share this with others as a badge of honor…regardless of how silly I think that tradition might be I find it pertinent to the time of year to share the brief, cliff notes version of what we’re thankful for here in our family.

this year for thanksgiving we shared the meal with family. present at the meal were myself, angela and the boys, my sister, her husband and their little girl, my parents, my grandmother and the incredible part…my in-laws. N & J were supposed to have thanksgiving on Tuesday with angela’s aunt and uncle from GA…for medical reasons that family chose to stay home and N & J chose to stay home…they also asked angela if they could come to my parent’s house for dinner.the most incredibly thing about this request is that angela's parents have never been to my parent's home. i take that back...her mom (N) has been to my parent's house for the baby shower many moons ago. angela's dad however has refused multiple invitations because coming to the house would make "things" a bit too real. 

i was impressed that my mom graciously opened her home to N & J simply because of the animosity between our two families. my mom (as do it) want nothing more than for at least N to recognize my standing in this family...regardless of the timeline until we get to that point i know that there is work being done to get us there. 

dinner was miraculous. dinner went without a hitch and J was so much more mature than could have been expected. in situations that make her uncomfortable, angela can come across as snobbish...it's primarily a coping mechanism but people don't always view it that way. angela's dad is much the same in new and uncomfortable situations. however - during dinner J engaged in conversation with my brother-in-law as well as others at the table. he talked briefly with my mom about the yarn shop and hung out with my niece. the boys were a hit and made everyone smile...all in all it was an incredible evening. one that i will remember for a long, long time. the poise that everyone showed was amazing and so completely appreciated by this whole family. 

the actual love and care that was present that night was everything that i am thankful for this winter.

i am thankful for my mom opening her home to people that she does not see eye to eye with simply because she knows it's important to me and angela

i am thankful for my brother-in-law who can talk to anyone

i am thankful for the family present at dinner who all embraced my in-laws 

i am thankful that my in-laws came in with open minds and respected my parents and their home and the meal they were invited to

i am thankful for my wife and best friend who loves me unconditionally regardless of anything else in this world

and i am thankful for the two sweet angels sleeping in the next room whose smiles light my life every single day.

so while i may not be posting to facebook about the 22 some odd things i'm thankful for i hope my family knows how truly thankful i am for them