In Thanksgiving

I was driving home form lunch with my family today and started thinking of things I'm thankful for.  I thought I'd make a list of 25 things (because today is the 25th, see? it makes sense) that I am thankful for... the list is in no particular order, and in no way is it complete, just 25 things that happen to pop in my head...

1. Family - every single member, immediate and otherwise
2. Friends  - every dear friend, old & new
3. Snow - one of the few things I like that come in white... there's something beautiful in the gentle fall of snowflakes... there's nothing quite like seeing trees covered in the first snowfall...  and it's quite amazing how a field of snow can look so vacant and desolate, and yet hopeful as a bright new canvas... and the thrill of the chill of a flake landing on the skin, or resting on an eyelash... have you ever listened to the sound of winter? silence isn't golden, it's white ;)
4. Autumn - the fresh crisp breeze that cuts through summer's heat, leading to the enjoyment of sweaters :) ... and the colors! a tree's last breath of life bursting in faux-flames... nature's version of fireworks, I'd say...  
5. Children - you can't be in a bad mood if you're within earshot of a laughing child... or one whose face lights up when they see you... or when one offers a spontaneous hug and nearly chokes you in the process...  and the things they say?!
6. Books - windows to places and worlds I could never dream of... language and thoughts unmottled by my own but in turn enriching them... pages that make me laugh or cry with every turn... along with music, the best invention this world has ever seen... 
7. Music - where a book is a trip you take with your mind guided by the author, music is a trip you take with your heart guided by the composer but fueled by the reservoir of your emotions... music with lyrics is good but instrumental is great, it allows you to create your own world, to feel things without being told to feel them, to feel things without needing to put things into words...  I don't know... it makes sense to me, and it's my list, so that's all that matters
8. Quotes - wise quotes, funny quotes, you can find a quote for every scenario online... I'm bad at making people smile, or saying the "right thing", quotes are a great help to me
9. Food - the smell and taste of Italian cooking... the variety of herbs and spices... the connection of food and culture... chocolate :) 
10. The Five Senses - so glad I can hear music and laughter, see to read, taste food, smell lemons, feel warm sand and cold water... 
11. Flowers - I think the earth smiles in flowers...  we bring those smiles into our homes and place them at the center of our table... we give flowers to show love, compassion, sympathy, gratitude... they're so fragile, and so different, each one an individual like each one of us... hmm, if the earth smiles in flowers, then God must smile in us... 
12. Comics - that's everything from Spiderman comic books, to Sunday morning cartoons, newspaper comic strips, to stand-up comedy... if it makes me smile, it's welcome...
13. The Basics - my home, my work, my car, my health... everyone should have The Basics... if any one is missing they all fail... I'm a lucky girl
14. Art - stories and ideas made visual, crossing the barriers of language, an expression of emotions... if you've had the pleasure of being made to nearly cry by a painting or statue, you know what I'm saying...
15. Museums - can you imagine?  you can walk through centuries, a Japanese teahouse, look at your reflection in an English mirror, and sit in front of a French garden, all by walking through just one building!  You gotta love it!
16. Kittens - soft, funny, clumsy, beautifully adorable little things!  
17. The Internet - knowledge at your fingertips... easy accessibility to family overseas... validating memories... 
18. The Variety of Landscape  - I love mountains, but am thankful for the flat prairies that remind me of the longing for mountains...  I love forests, but am thankful for the open seas that remind me that solitude is a necessary balance... I love villages that cling to the side of cliffs or lake shores, but am thankful for city skyscrapers that remind me we all have different ideas of life...
19. Trees - I love trees... I look at trees and see characters... like Ents or something... some are straight and tall and stand close together, like a church choir... some are large and majestic, like a wise elder who's seen a thing or two... some are bent by the wind, like they've been through hardship, but survived... some have branches that rise up like arms asking for help... some stand like sentinels... I love trees... no two are alike... all offer something... shelter, protection, fruit... "The Giving Tree" makes me cry... there's a tree I see every day on my way home, it's a beautiful tree with a slight arc, like a gatekeeper welcoming me home... it makes me smile... I'm thankful for that tree
20. Hugs & Smiles - they're the best... love, friendship, comfort, all conveyed without the need for words... 
21. Freedom - of speech, of religion, to travel in and out of the country, to wear what I want, to make my own choices...
22. Conversations - especially the otherworldly... and the kind of conversations where people really tell you what they think, feel, dream... not to mention the fact that people take the time to have conversations with me!
23. Day & Night - thanks God for giving us a clear sign of times to be active and times to rest, a study of balance to keep us happy and healthy  
24. Wisdom - I'm thankful that people throughout the ages received wisdom, gumption, instinct etc. to come up with medicines, spices, nail polish, pillows, paper, pianos, cellphones, libraries, indoor plumbing, fire, etc. ...
25. Time - time that is my own, time shared, time that shows me growth in all living things, time that makes me glad I live in this century, time that I remember in the pockets of my heart...

Well, that's the stuff that popped in my head as I wrote this... we're all thankful I didn't make a longer list aren't we?!