Goodbye October, Hello Attitude of Gratitude.........

Good morning to you!!!

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As October slowly slipped into November I was down on the couch with a tummy bug that totally threw me for a loop. Thanks to a few helping hands, and some remedies I had on hand though, I was better in a few days, and while not quite back up to speed, definitely close to 100%.

For those of you who have not celebrated the two months of November and December with us before, boy, are you in for a wonderful treat full of recipes, shared inspirational stories, guest posters with the best crafts, and of course, our annual HomeSpun Christmas celebration coming up in a few weeks. 

However, today I want to focus on what I feel is one of the most under-appreciated, and under-celebrated Holidays we are blessed to have in this wonderful country, and that is the celebration of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving, 2012

You see, we have commercialized everything so much that as soon as school starts we are browsing through the fall decor, and then the Halloween decor. From the second that midnight comes on November 1st, Christmas Carols are filling the stores as they push to sell more and more Christmas holiday decor, 

or scents, or clothing, or whatever.

And in the midst of all of that, Thanksgiving, a holiday rich with tradition and meaning, which SHOULD be something we pause and celebrate, is quietly overlooked as we peruse the papers for the best deal on Black Friday, or discuss which movie we are going to see on the following weekend for the Christmas Blockbuster season.

And what does my heart say?

It is so so sad. 

Everything has a time and a place, and I love Christmas or Fall as much as the next person.

But I will CHOOSE to be thankful every single day leading up to a holiday that I will savor with all my heart.

And that, my friends, is why we do 

Attitude with Gratitude

every November.

What am I thankful for today?

I am thankful for the crisp fall leaves still coloring the ground outside.

I am thankful for the three sweet faces that wake me up with kisses, and try to be thankful when I look at the clock and it is only 15 minutes before 7, instead of 7 am.

I am thankful for the happy tears on my mother's face last night as she gets to see her littlest grandchildren after a week of being kept away due to a flu outbreak in our home, and their joy in hugging and loving on Grams.

I am thankful for the many many emails that filled my inbox telling me that awesome and wonderful readers were praying for me as I battled the flu for 24 hours.

I am thankful for the brother that was born this month and who has always been a delight in my life, always my protector, and one of my closest friends as we get older and lay the childish things behind us.

I am thankful for the thought that in three weeks my husband will be smoking another huge turkey and we get to make a ton of meals off of it just as we did last year.

And really I could go on and on.

Here is my challenge to you.

Find one thing, just ONE thing,

 that you are thankful for today, 

and post it in the comments.

While we will be doing other things and posting on other subjects this month, I want this to become a tradition again this year. Share one thing with me.

  And let's keep each other encouraged and focused on being thankful for what we have 

instead of living in tomorrow, and missing today.

Blessings to you and yours,

~Heather