I'm thankful

I've been reading lots of wonderfully inspirational Thanksgiving-themed posts on my weekly blog reads and their words, as usual, have inspired me to compose my own message of thanks.

I'm thankful, that in spite of the ridiculous hours that David is required to work this year, that we are being taught how to appreciate our time...the time we have to ourselves and the time we get to spend with each other.

This weekend was rare in that the 3 of us were at home together. We didn't do anything spectacular, but what we did was special- to us- because we hung out as a family. We have stopped taking our time together for granted and, believe me, this is a true gift.

I'm thankful for the family autumn walk we took on Saturday where we had time to simply enjoy the bright bursts of colors and the sunshine among the frosted leaves.

I'm thankful that I CAN walk. In light of my diagnosis, one never knows if this will be something I can continue to do forever and, geesh, I have no plans to take that lightly. I'm thankful to be able to walk and run and play and I'm thankful that I feel good doing all of those things. A few days ago, I took a solo run in the crisp November air and I felt so connected and so at peace. I NEED running. I NEED movement, and I'm going to fight my hardest to keep it!

I'm ever so thankful for this little guy in our lives. The one who can be whining one minute and laughing the next out of pure, blissful joy. I'm thankful for his tender heart and his inquisitive mind and the way he loves his friends. I'm thankful for how much he loves to touch, to see, and to learn.

I'm thankful for the family and friends who will be surrounding our table on Thanksgiving and for all of our dear family and friends that the miles separate us from. Psst...our house loves visitors!

I'm thankful to all of you who read this little piece of my world and for allowing me to share and, to be perfectly honest, self-promote.

And, I'm so, so thankful for good food. On fall nights when we want something warm, but don't have a lot of prep time, I often turn to this sandwich which I have dubbed our "Fall Sandwich". It's super easy to make and creates that perfect bite of warm autumn flavored in your mouth. I hope you can enjoy it too...it seems to be an ideal choice for those turkey leftovers... Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Sandwich: Spread pumpkin butter or apple butter or sweet potato butter or cranberry spread onto large pieces of good bread. Top with roasted turkey and a slice of Gouda cheese and toast or place under the broiler until bubbly and lightly browned. Serve with a big slather of spicy brown mustard on the side. I also like mine with a side of arugala, but leaving this out won't be a deal breaker.