ABCs of Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving Day. Time for the requisite "what I'm thankful for" post. I hope after you have finished reading it, you'll leave a comment of at least one thing you are thankful for.

Amy's ABCs of Thanksgiving

A - An easy start. Annie -- she is bright and funny, helpful and caring and is turning out to be a great kid despite being our first experiment in parenting.

B - Bathtub. When I can navigate around the dinosaurs and sharks, it's a place that offers a few moments of blessed solitude.

C - Charlie, the bringer of much blog fodder. I'm enamored of his competitive drive and his inquisitiveness.

D - Donuts. I know that sounds like a shallow thing, but donuts bring me joy. Specifically, chocolate frosted long-johns with white fluff in middle. Those bring me lots of joy! And, of course Diet Coke.

E - Ellipis... Totally nerdy, I know, but I love those three little dots that let a thought linger...

F - Family. I know there are a lot of messed up families in this world. And I'm thankful that mine is not one of them. Not just our little family of 5, but my immediate family and Mike's. Mostly we're all pretty normal.

G - Grandparents. So, they are included in family, but worth a special mention of their own. I am 38 years old and still have 3 grandparents living. My NaNa has only been gone for a little over a year. Mike's grandmother, Buck, is 89 and very dear to me as well.

H - My huzzzband. That's my pet name for Mike. And I am his wyfe. For all the eye rolling and sigh heaving he elicits from me, I love him. And his geeky technical prowess.

I - Ice cream. Truthfully, if I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be ice cream. Baskin Robbins chocolate peanut butter. Or Maggie Moos dark chocolate and cinnamoo mixed with almonds.

J - I am thankful for my job. After freelancing for many years, I re-joined the workforce 3 years ago. It was the best re-entry I could have hoped for. I have a great job, a terrific boss and wonderful co-workers.

K - Kindness. We live in a world that is busy with work and family obligations. It is easy to find myself wrapped up in things all about me. And so I appreciate it when people take the time to be kind -- holding open a door, making a phone call to say "I'm thinking about you," paying someone a compliment.

L - Love. Schmaltzy-sounding, I know. But I am so grateful that I wake each day knowing that I am loved. And that I have the capacity to give love as well. There are many in our world who don't know love.

M - Motherhood. Even though from time to time I don't want to get off the couch, I am thankful for the blessing of being a mother.

N - Nexium, that little purple pill that will allow me to eat Thanksgiving dinner without heartburn that leaves me panting like a woman in labor.

O - Olive loaf. That baloney-like deli meat studded with green olives. I don't eat it often, but when I do, it takes me back to my childhood.

P - Pigskin, as in football. I really love watching football, especially when its the Indianapolis Colts. And its an activity that our whole family can enjoy.

Q - Questions. I'm thankful for those questions that my kids bring that make me think about the world in a new way.

R - Robbie. Our sweet little cupcake baked by the devil. I always thought those people who treated their youngest like a baby were a little warped. But now I just want to wrap him up and keep him little forever.

S - Small church group, four families who give each other space to be fun and faithful. Once a month we get together to eat, talk a little God, and eat some more.

T - Technology. Even though I don't really know as much as some people think I do, I'm grateful for the technology of e-mail and blogging and online Scrabble and DVRs.

U - Underwear. Not a lot of choices for "u." But seriously, I am grateful for that which keeps me from chafing and uncomfortable wedgies.

V - Vows, as in wedding. We celebrated the 15th anniversary of ours last month. The road has been a bit winding, but -- in good times and in bad -- our vows have kept us on it.

W - Wordless Wednesday. My favorite contribution is "Darkness Follows."

X - Xtreme faith. I'm a faithful person, but not entirely diligent. I am lifted up by those in my life who have what I consider extreme faith, not in the sense that they have extreme views or try to push their beliefs on others. But they have consistent faith that is embedded in who they are and how they live their lives.

Y - Yellow. I love the color yellow. I'm thankful for its bright and cheery glow -- even if sometimes it's a bit too bright.

Z - Zoos. I love them and so does Robbie. When we go on vacation, if there is a zoo, I have to go. I don't know why. I'm not in general a lover of animals -- at least not domestic ones. But seeing wild animals close up is very intriguing to me. Even better when there is some human interaction.

So there you have it. My ABCs of Thanksgiving -- AND -- my 100th blog entry!

If you're new to the 4th Frog, click some of the links above to visit some of my earlier entries. If you've been a Frog follower for a while, click away and re-read some old favorites. If you have a favorite entry that I didn't reference above, please leave a comment and let me know.