Thankful Thursday | The Thanksgiving one
For most of my blog's history, I have made a 50-item thankful list on Thanksgiving Day.
But this year, blog readers and I have been making thankful lists every Thursday, just as a matter of course.
(2020 has required extra gratitude practice for most of us!)
So I thought maybe I'd just do a regular Thankful Thursday post today. And I'd love for you to join me in the comments.
This week, I am thankful:
that we are safe and healthy
Good health is a particular blessing right now.
that the bathroom smell was a simple fix
We'd recently replaced the toilet seat in one of our bathrooms, and around the same time, we started noticing a weird smell; slightly like the smell of a bathroom where a lot of young boys live. 😉
I could NOT figure out where the smell was coming from; it persisted through thorough cleaning, and no matter where I checked for the smell, I couldn't locate it.
Then, weeks into trying to troubleshoot this problem, I happened to sniff the toilet lid.
(I was desperate, ok???)
And sure enough, that's where the smell was.
I googled it and discovered other people had bought Bemis brand toilet seats and experienced the same thing.
I was relieved to learn that I had not completely lost my marbles!
And I was also relieved that this was a simple fix; just buy another brand of toilet seat.
Whew. This is much better than some mystery plumbing issue.
Summary for anyone finding this via Google in the future: If you think your brand new Bemis toilet seat smells like pee, you are not crazy.
that Sonia's got two pet-sitting jobs
She's got one over this weekend, and one around the Christmas holidays.
I'm happy for the odd jobs that have come her way!
that I got a speedy refund on the textbook I sent back
The college did take months to send me a label, but once I got the label and shipped the book back, I had a refund in just a few days. Yay!
that the pandemic will not last forever
Sometimes I sort of find myself thinking that things will be like this from here on out, which is a super discouraging thought.
But then I remember that no pandemic in the history of the world has ever gone on indefinitely. So it is reasonable to think that one day, life will be more normal than it is now.
that we currently have plenty of toilet paper
I have never been a person to habitually stockpile toilet paper.
But 2020 has made me feel thankful to have several multi-packs stacked in my laundry room.
for sleep
There is a sense in which I wish I did not have to sleep (think of all the time I'd have!), but since I do need sleep, I am very grateful for the happy feeling of plopping my tired self into bed and drifting off to sleep.
Also I am grateful for the way in which sleep resets me; sometimes things that seem terrible when I am tired suddenly become much more manageable once I get some sleep.
that God is always working in my life
I do not alway know what He's doing, in both small and large things, but I am grateful for the faith to trust when I don't understand.
that every day is a new chance to hope
”It’s always something, to know you’ve done the most you could. But, don’t leave off hoping, or it’s of no use doing anything. Hope, hope to the last.” – Charles Dickens
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
that there are always things to be grateful for
As Alice Morse Earle says, "Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day."
What are you thankful for today?
P.S. If your heart is sad today, much love to you. I know that holidays press on the wounded parts of your heart in ways that regular days do not, so I wish i could give you a hug.
I am thankful for this blog, the work that you do to create it and your wonderful readers including that love to comment.
I am grateful that we are healthy.
I am thankful for modern HVAC. A warm house in cold weather and a cool house in summer. We try to be moderate in our use of the resources it takes to run the furnace and AC but they make life so much easier than it would otherwise be.
I am grateful for podcasts that let me learn something while I'm doing other things, like cooking or exercising. There are so many great ones out there. I have recently started listening to The Happiness Lab.
I am thankful for family. Even though we do not live near siblings we stay in touch and we can't wait to be together again when it is safe to travel. We will Zoom with my extended family today. My husband's niece has a newborn and we love receiving texts with pictures of her.
I am grateful for friends. Life would be so difficult without friends. They truly are there for you in good times and in bad. I also appreciate having nice neighbors, they are casual friends.
I am thankful that for us there is always food to eat, we have the ability to buy, cook and store food.
I am grateful to have my husband of 30+ years and our daughter and her SO.
Maybe I should purposely buy a brand-new Bemis toilet seat to install in my children's (three boys+girl) bathroom--which is also, unfortunately, the guest bathroom--so that I can honestly tell people who drop by unexpectedly and don't give me time to scrub, "Oh yes, those toilet seats make the worst smell!" It's not us! It's the toilet seat!
Anyway. Thankful:
--For those poorly-aiming boys and their sister. They are definitely mess-makers, but they are also definitely the reason for my being.
--For our good fortune to live where we live and how we live right now. The current lockdowns and general fear just really haven't affected us as much, because we already kind of lived like we were on lockdown. 🙂
--For a combination of events that have resulted in two stuffed chest freezers full of food.
--For some much-needed rain, but also for the sun coming back out after a few days of fog/clouds/rain. We are really spoiled for sunshine here, and it affects all of us when we don't have any for awhile.
--And for you, Kristen. Thanks for being here, and letting us be here, too.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
There are so many websites asking readers to post "thankfulness" comments, but I chose to put my thoughts down here !! I love this blog, and especially the Thankful Thursday posts. Thank you for being here for us !!!!
I'm so thankful for:
new leadership for our country.
a wonderful home in a good neighborhood.
the health of my family, we've managed to stay well through all of this.
a budget that allows us to save, but still live a comfortable life with a few extras.
co-workers who are also friends, they add so much to my life.
I could go on, but I'll stop there. That alone is quiet a lot to be thankful for !!
Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
Thank you for a beautiful post. I woke up feeling sad, because this Thanksgiving will be so different than most. This lifted my spirits and helped me reframe my thoughts. Those simple words, “The pandemic will not last forever,” soothed my soul.
I am grateful for so much and am blessed.
Although I love all three of my children and look at each as a blessing, I’m especially thankful today for my eldest son who lives nearby. He always is there when we need him and includes us in his life.
I’m so grateful that this son has found a lovely young women to spend his life with.
I’m thankful for my veterinarian. I have been a client of his office for 25 years, and he has never let me down. I was caring for my sister’s 14-year-old dog this week when she became ill. Within the hour, I had the medication and protocol necessary to improve her condition. This sweet pup is much better now which is also a blessing.
I’m grateful that my husband did the grocery shopping this week, so I could avoid the Thanksgiving week chaos.
I’m blessed with a roof over my head and food in the refrigerator. I’m warm and safe. My cup runneth over.
Happy Thanksgiving to all. May blessings abound and may love surround you.
I am typing this from the Covid ward of our local hospital, where I have been since Saturday. Even here, there are things to be grateful for. My room is large, and most importantly to me, silent with none of the usual stressful hospital noises. All the staff are exceptionally kind to me, but since they all wear two masks, a helmet with face shield and something that covers their hair, i can't tell any of them apart.
Most importantly I am slooowly recovering although I can tell this going to take a long time.
Rose, hugs to you. Praying for healing. Thanks for sharing your grateful heart at such a challenging time.
Oh Rose, I am so sorry to hear this! Prayers and best wishes for a full recovery for you. Much love, and please do keep us posted if you have the energy.
I’m so sorry to hear that you’re in the hospital. I hope you’ll be home soon. Best wishes and prayers for your recovery.
So sorry COVID affected you this way. I have had it and recovered, just felt horrible for about 20 days. Prayers for recovery.
Best wishes for a full recovery! Take care!
Wishing you a speedy recovery!
I will pray that you are well soon!
Today I am so thankful that my children are healthy and safe. We are not spending Thanksgiving together this year, because of Covid, but that’s not a hardship we can’t overcome. Many families don’t get to spend holidays together, and we can weather this year of separation.
Thankful for Zoom calls to relatives we would normally be seeing in person today. Thankful that at least we aren't in the car for 8 hours before we get to our usual destination . Thankful it has stopped raining so we can do a window visit with mom.
First year in my entire life that I'm not able to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with my brothers and their families. This is due to several different factors, but it's OK. We are all safe and healthy. This is just a different year, in many ways and so many others are experiencing loss and change too. May you and your families have a blessed Thanksgiving.
For once, I don't have to think about this. I am thankful we survived nine hours of covid hell in the local emergency room. It was a horrible time of crowded yet socially distanced angst due to hubby having a kidney stone. We HATED to go and be there among all the illness (and anyone who believes this is not a serious issue, I dare you to go sit in your local emergency room and witness what is going on. We honestly felt like we were in a third world country rather than our local hospital.) Anyway, extremely THANKFUL for the dedicated but worn out staff who helped my husband under trying circumstances. The evidence of lack of PPE was everywhere but they did a yeoman's job of treating my husband and everyone else I could see with kindness and the best medical care available. It was stressful and difficult and I'm praying that our masks did the job and we won't have to make a return trip. God bless health care workers everywhere and thank you for your service. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
Kidney stones are the worst! I can't imagine trying to get it taken care of in the midst of the pandemic. I hope he is recovered enough to enjoy Thanksgiving.
Thank you! The meds did the trick and he enjoyed his late dinner. Now we're just waiting for it to pass. 😉
1. This blog - the kind tone you set, Kristen, and all the nice comments that people leave. I love encouraging people and this community is full of them.
2. I'm able to cook a plain-ish Thanksgiving meal today for my immediate family. We usually have a delicious meal at an extended family member's house. She's a wonderful cook and has an unbelievable dinner every year. My meal will be fine - it'll fill us up and we'll be together as a family. Maybe next year we can eat at her house again.
3. The nice "Happy Thanksgiving" texts I've gotten this morning. I even got a sweet one from a coworker.
4. That my family is planning to put up Christmas decorations tomorrow.
Thank you so much for this post! We replaced a toilet seat about a year ago and immediately started noticing the smell you mentioned. I do have 3 sons, but even with diligent cleaning and trying lots of products, the smell persisted. So I'm not going crazy! We'll be replacing that toilet seat ASAP!
It is SO hard to narrow down where the smell is coming from! I hope a new seat helps to deodorize your bathroom.
I don't know why in the world a toilet seat manufacturer would use a material that smells like pee. Gee whiz!
Can you return it (or maybe they’d rather not have it back) and get a refund?
1. I am thankful that we are safe at home.
2. I am thankful that my family does not have food insecurity.
3. I am thankful for mild weather.
4. I am thankful for my students fighting so hard thru virtual school , chemistry no less.
5. I am thankful for this blog!
My life is filled with blessings, too many to count. I have a perfect-for-me husband and dog, a warm house, a freezer and cupboards and fridge that are filled with food, the money to buy fuel, a wonderful library and sufficient money to purchase books that may not be available from there, enough free lance work that I regularly turn work away, and I live in a safe community and a state of jaw dropping beauty. But I am most thankful for the nurses and doctors and surgeons who saved my life not once but twice, so I am still here to have all these blessings, and the other docs who cured my husband's cancer so he is here with me. I have no complaints.
I love your thankful heart, Lindsey!
This was a sweet blog read for today. I just had a neighbor bring her very young new grandbaby for me to see, and placed this sweet new one in my arms. Oh wow!! So , in addition to all the usual "thankful fors" on this day, I will add this experience of holding a 2 week old, beautiful baby girl in my arms. Thanks for your blog. Mary Ann
Baby snuggles are the best!
Thankful for ....
a teenage son who will still play board games with me
my oldest son who is kind and helpful and will stop by to lend a hand with household problems
my sister who painted a charming little water colour for me of a local building that I am fond of
my mum and dad passed their hearing tests with flying colours...they are in their mid seventies so that is good news. We can’t see one another right now, but we can hear each other!
dry weather (for the moment!), rain is eminent, but for now I’ll enjoy the break from the wet weather.
Happy Thanksgiving from Canada
Thankful my sister and I were able to trade some Thanksgiving sides & a turkey and I was able to see her for 5 minutes, also seen my brother for 5 minutes.
For FaceTime, I was able to see the kids.
Thankful there is 100% of nothing I want for Christmas. My family all agreed we are skipping Christmas in addition to Thanksgiving.
One of the few good things about Covid is our granddaughter was born 1 year ago and my son and dil have mostly worked from home all this time and got to see her grow up. She is a super happy baby Always smiling.
1. That I could safely have out-of-town family to feast with by: everyone getting tested, eating outside, wearing masks when not eating, only one family group at a time at the buffet tables, sitting in family groups even though the young crowd really would have rather sat together.
2. That the weather cooperated for eating outside.
3. That I now have gear to have friends over for outside events. I have a backyard, a propane heater, and warming tray + chafing dishes set up.
4. For my father who, realizing that I was overwhelmed by preparing to eat outside, tried to buy propane tanks for me. My brilliant but indoor-city-type father who'd never used a propane tank and didn't know anything about them, who almost bought me a 1000 lb tank. And most definitely for my father for checking with me before buying a 1000 lb tank. (For those, like me a mere week ago, are unfamiliar with propane tanks, the little tanks used for heaters and gas grills hold 20 lbs of propane. A 1000 tank will run an entire house.)
5. That my family, as a group, could buy the meal rather than my making it (because getting everything set up to eat outside was surprisingly challenging). I insisted on making a few things, which may have been a bit foolish but it was _my_ foolishness.
6. That several of my friends contacted me today to share their pleasure at our friendship.
7. Books.
8. The light at the end of the tunnel is two - but maybe not three - likely vaccines.
9. The Townsends YouTube channel. He is a totally into how 18th/early 19th century people lived, including dressing and cooking that way (probably not full time) and makes great videos about it. I love learning about the everyday lives of people in different places and times.
10. For my dog. My big, black, 60 lb boxer/something mix with the scary big bark but who is a total sweetie when he isn't protecting me from my nieces (or whomever), and who actually likes being hugged and snuggled.
And because it wouldn't a WilliamB Thankful list if I didn't forget something:
11. For the upcoming soup of turkey stock, turkey pickings, roast root veggies, and maybe a bit of gravy. My last soup - minestrone - come out bland so this should be better.
12. For fridges and freezers so full that it's taking careful work to fit in all my food. Even after giving away some of what I'd ordered I had far too much.
I was thinking of you today when I looked at the weather forecast and I hoped it would work out for you. Yay!
Thank you. Clear and dry and warm enough that we didn't need gloves. i hope yours was good, too.
I am thankful for our good health, including all members of both families.
I am thankful for today's many telephone calls, including photographs from my daughter. I talked so much that my tongue is almost stuck to the roof of my mouth.
I am thankful for having finished Christmas cards and stockings, ready to mail. The only gifts we exchange are these stockings with my daughter's family.
I am thankful for the bright sunshine today, the day having woken to cloud and rain.
I am thankful for your sustained blog which is comforting and fun and useful and reminds me that the young are still as intelligent and forthcoming as the old--I am 83.
Thankful our son could join us for Thanksgiving,safely.We have been quarantining; he works at home.
Am worried,becasue I have three dental appts. I MUST have in the next week, some major repair. I prefer NOT TO BE EXPOSED to anyone outside my household.I’m a bit scared.Praying and hoping for the best. And taking my Vitamin C.
Thankful for the thought that this will not go on forever, as you mention.
Thankful we have enough food,toilet paper, warm clothes, a comfy bed, a home we love, cloud library, and our health.
Thankful for friends who are also staying at home and not adding to the rough situation here in Arizona.
Thankful for goodies left on my doorstep by my neighbor.
Thankful for a loving son and a loving husband. That’s everything,right there.
I've needed the dentist 4 times since the pandemic started. They've been very efficient, clean, and totally committed to treating patients safely. Good luck. I hope you get all the help you need.
Luckily, dental offices are already pretty clean places! And dental workers often wore masks even before the pandemic.
Thankful that I am slowly approaching the 12-week-mark of pregnancy which will make me calmer about whether this pregnancy will stick.
Thankful that I cannot relate at all (any more?) to "Confessions of a Shopalholic".
Thankful for our affordable apartment that helps us save money.
Thankful for my amazing new bike on which I can go so much faster.
Thankful for this blog which always cheers me up and reminds me to be content!
Ugh, the anxiety of the first trimester. I remember that well.
So thankful that my little family has remained well since the summer. We had a different but lovely holiday meal today. Also thankful for four days off work, as I am getting rather worn out looking after a dorm full of college students. Very thankful for their long winter break!
Our celebration is tomorrow - we needed warmer weather to be able to open all the windows. We will be seated at little tables, with at about 10 feet between each person.
1. I'm thankful our younger son graduated, got a job/apartment, and is doing well at work. He's happy, so bonus points.
2. We have remained healthy. Major gratitude. Hoping we remain so.
3. Thankful for the chance to care for a young relative once a week. Baby cuddles were sweet. Toddler wiggles are also wonderful.
4. Thankful for our frontline medical workers. They deserve so much gratitude.
5. Thankful for a solid house, food, clothing, and a wonderful spouse to share it all with.
I always love the appreciative tone of your blog! Thanks for being a wonderfully peaceful place to stop in for a bit. Also, your PS phrase is so beautifully said and I thank you for it and send hugs to all who feel the same “I know that holidays press on the wounded parts of your heart in ways that regular days do not”
I'm thankful for 2 out of 3 grown kids in the house at this very moment. Thankful that we could zoom with son and daughter-in-law, and that we got to see the most beautiful 3D ultrasound picture of our coming grandson.
I walked out of Trader Joe's on Monday with all of the food that we needed AND wanted, and I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the privilege of the money to buy the food, and the access to delicious and plentiful food.
I am thankful for the renovation that we have done on our house. One year ago today we hosted Thanksgiving here, we had just moved in and the house was almost uninhabitable. Today it is comfortable, warm, and clean. So very grateful. I'm even thankful for the piles that I don't have a place for. It means that we have an abundance.
I'm thankful for my husband, the quiet and faithful way that he works and for the job that he has. He lost his job in the spring, but found another and so each day with a job is truly a blessing.
I'm grateful:
~ for a job I can do from home in comfort.
~ that the optician fixed the problem with my cornea without me having to go to hospital (an eyelash had grown into my cornea- I didn't even know that was possible!)
~ that we put money aside for replacements so I can make necessary upgrades to my tech without guilt
~ that we have plenty of good food in the house
~ that I'm going to buy my Christmas tree next weekend!
I love thankful thursdays!
I am grateful for...
* Physical books. I love the feel of holding a book, turning the pages, see the progression. I don't like to read on a screen. So I'm very happy that physical books are still being printed.
* Grateful to be able to kick off a shopping ban not because I *need* too but because I want too. It's a privilege.
* I'm grateful to have a good job, well paid, even if sometimes I just don't feel like coming in. And I'm grateful to be able to work part-time (3 days per week) instead of full-time
* I'm grateful that my kids have friends and are well ajusted in school
* I'm grateful for a supportive and hard-working husband
I don't love reading digital books either. I feel like my brain doesn't process them as well!
I am thankful for:
1. All the essential workers in the food chain who made it possible for us to enjoy a delicious meal on Thanksgiving. The farm workers, the food producers/packagers, the truck drivers, the grocery store workers...thank you from the bottom of our hearts and the top of our full bellies.
2. Zoom dessert with my brother and sister and brother-in-law. It made it possible to enjoy some family time together during the holiday in a safe way.
3. Places like the NY Common Pantry that make it possible for us to donate and provide food for others who are not able to afford their own right now. Happy Thanksgiving to those who keep it running and to those who can enjoy a Thanksgiving meal because of it.
4. My friends who regularly reach out and say hello. Can't wait to see you in person again!
5. My meditation teacher. She is a beautiful and special person who has helped bring more calm into my life. She found a way to bring us all together again when we could no longer meet in person and it has made this time more bearable.
I am thankful for sunshine, leftovers, new library books and Christmas DVD’s, blankets, warm socks, soap, Christmas trees, a decorated home, laughter, love (even if it means sorrow when you miss someone), soup, freshly vacuumed carpets, little kid sayings and hugs, a dishwasher, running into a friend, desks, thrift finds, wrapped presents, family phone calls, fresh laundry, freshly bathed kids, my sister visiting us, pumpkin pie and whip cream, nature walks, blue skies and a date planned for tomorrow with my husband.
Thankful we are all healthy and still have good humor.
Thankful that our daughter recognizes her privilege and despite her feeling anxious and sad, is till forging ahead with her education and professional goals.
Thankful for neighbors and friends.
Thankful for sleep and exercise and other habits that heal.
I'm late to this because I took the Thanksgiving long weekend off to just work on some sewing projects and veg out with some audio books.
I'm thankful for an incredibly supportive spouse. He moved thousands of miles away from his hometown with me for my faculty job. He got a lot of flack about moving for his wife's job (the nerve!). It hasn't been an easy journey, but I am so lucky.
I'm thankful for the unbelievably generous friend who gave me her old sewing machine. I've been making due with a very inexpensive mechanical Brother machine (which I'm holding onto for when I go to sewing classes or to a friend's house to sew) for more than a decade. I've made beautiful quilts and table toppers and a doll-sized boppy for my niece, but I always had to go somewhere to quilt my beautiful quilts because the inexpensive machine's throat/harp space is VERY small. Out of nowhere during Thanksgiving week, my friend showed up with her very much upgraded machine and I am over the moon.
I'm also thankful for...my job, my sewing skills, my family, my internet friends and acquaintances, my dog, my health, my home, etc...