I realized that I haven't been posting entries in here for a few years now, but that doesn't mean my gratitude and thankfulness as dwindled at all. If anything, I believe it has increased. In lieu of having a thankful tree, I'll use a tree I am thankful for and move forward. Three things I'm especially thankful this year are...
This is my very own tree (left) and tree to be (center)...
Gaming
...particularly of the Minecraft and Dungeons and Dragons persuasion. These two games have really given the family something to connect over, plan for, even without considering all of the self-quarantining we've been doing due to COVID-19 (a year for the books). I have also seen my girls grow in their own unique gifts and personalities as they make custom characters, navigate tricky situations (both online and in print). Plus they're teaching me things, which is amazing to experience!
Health
Admittedly this one may sound a bit odd. My girls continue to struggle with Tourettes and the OCD it brought. We're still finding the right balance of therapy and meds. My wife continues to find her own balance with her thyroid meds and deals with some ugly swings of fatigue when things get out of balance. And yet, we are all here together to celebrate today. Nobody is isolated in a hospital, nobody is completely debilitated, and that is huge because we can be together. After losing one family member this year and having a few friends get really sick, our continued health is especially relevant this year.
Our Home
I won't bore you with the full details again, you can read the recap of our home/sanctuary here. Last night, as we were cleaning up some mess from pie making, while also cooking dinner and running around in a Minecraft server the family likes to hang out in, things finally exited the realm of surreal and there was a long exhale of peace, contentment, and thankfulness. Our family has a home, a space truly ours to spend the upcoming holidays, and my thankfulness to God knows no bounds.
Et Vous?
What are you thankful for this year? It is more important than to find even the small things in your life and name them as we approach the grey of winter and cold it brings. I'd like to hear them!