Thanksgiving

As we prepare to spend Thanksgiving with family and friends, it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of the travel, food and festivities. However, last night I was fundamentally reminded of what Thanksgiving was really about when I tried to describe the holiday to 22 month old Emmerson. Emme is rapidly becoming a 'big girl' which demands explanations for things such as why the family finds it so important to gather around tons of food on a not-so-random Thursday in the frigid month of November.
Emme has manners. 'Please' was one of her first 5 words and she says 'thank you' on a regular basis, but I realized that I have never explained to her why she says thank you. She figured out quickly that saying please helps her get what she wants, but what gratification is there behind using the other 2 little polite words? Nothing- except praise from family members who appreciate the mannerful gesture. So last night I found myself trying to explain what this word means... which was interesting. I was impressed that Emmerson seemed to understand the concept of being thankful and listened intently as I attempted to tell her things we should be thankful for. Without much more response from her, the conversation ended and she remained quiet for some time.
That is when I became thankful for all of the lessons children teach their parents. Without doing it on purpose, Emmerson has the ability to touch my heart with little reminders of what is important in life. Because of her, I now am more aware of the 'small things' in life as I am lucky enough to experience things through her eyes. I am thankful for her perspective on things, such as being so excited to shout out 'pink' when she sees something in our most favorite color... or when she makes a joke and laughs at herself, or better yet, tickles herself and fake laughs.
As Emme continues to learn and grow, Bryan and I feel like she is always one step ahead of us. A family friend once gave us some lasting parenting advice that children always know more than you think they know. As Emme sat in silence after our conversation about thankfulness, I thought of this and had an overwhelming feeling of contentment as I knew she absentmindedly dedicated at least a few more seconds in her rapid-firing brain to the things we said we were thankful for. I am thankful for her.
I am also thankful for my wonderful and loving husband, our health, and the roof over our heads at night. I am thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful for our careers and the luxuries we have been able to enjoy in life. I am thankful for silly things like dishwashers and laundry machines and even smartphones which make my busy life so much more doable. Because I can't list everything I am thankful for, my last shout it is to the brave soldiers who are fighting for our freedom and this wonderful country that I am thankful to call my home. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!