I’m feeling like since Thanksgiving week is coming to a close I should put down, in writing, what I am thankful for. I’ve been thinking about it more over the weekend than I did during the week. Jesse was sick again on Tuesday. I wasn’t too thankful that day. Nate wiped snot all over his sheet one morning then peed in his bed, by accident, so I had to change sheets twice this week. Not too thankful there either. Or was I?

I have a list of very concrete, large things to say thank you for. My house, my car, my family. This nifty new computer I am writing on right now from the coffee shop.

I don’t usually do Black Friday. Never have and may never again. But this year I had a hankering for a little-bitty computer I could tote around and write on when the moment moved me. Turns out they had it at Target for exactly how much I said I would be willing to spend on it. It’s called a Netbook. And, the only stipulation was that I had to get the Black Friday Door Buster! bargain to get the price.

I told my mom about it and she said, “What makes you think you will be the one to get that computer?”  She was referring to how the stores advertise the big deal, only to have three on hand.

“I know, it’s a long shot,” I reassured her. I don’t fancy myself that lottery winner, but if it is meant to be, I’ll have it, I thought.

I decided not to do the midnight, large lines and all that jazz. It’s not for me. So the next day I asked Hubby if he would mind riding with me to Target. First Target, the man says, “We just ran out an hour ago”.

I expected that much, it was 10 a.m. And, it is a lottery after all. But second Target – Bull’s Eye! They had my computer. I won the lottery! At 11 a.m. That felt good. Special.

I mentioned my mom asking me questions, and even though I was a little put out about her not believing I could get my computer, I was infinitely grateful that she made the trip here to spend Thanksgiving with us. She’s about to graduate from nursing school and has every reason to want to rest and relax, but she came into the whirlwind of my home and spent the holiday with us.

We went out to eat for our “big meal.” I was able to have a wonderful meal of a crab tower (avocado, mango and crab neatly layered and arranged beautifully on a plate with a lemony sauce all around it), and a salad with candied walnuts. I relished every bite of that meal and some of my mom’s bourbon glazed salmon and spinach, and some of Hubby’s sweet potatoes, and a bite or two of Robert’s (my step-dad) apple pie. What a meal!

Also this week, Hubby found a new great house keeper. She’s a pro. Nice, efficient, I can talk to her about my needs without feeling too pushy. She’s great. And so very needed.

Yesterday I got to take my daughter to the zoo. It was our first time doing that with just the two of us. Hubby and Nate were at the GA-GA Tech game having father-son sports time together.

Speaking of Hubby, we went out last night and had a good time together. And my friend, Monti, texted me a bunch of times while we were out wanting me to come over to her house with Hubby. I left the “conversation” feeling loved and wanted. This all happened after I went to a beautiful and helpful meditation on Acceptance.

And here I am, at the close of the Thanksgiving week, on my computer while Hubby hangs with our two healthy, fun children. I’m having a mocha at my favorite coffee shop and my house is clean, but lived in (that’s mom-talk for just a little messy).

Does all of this sound simple? It’s meant to.

I think my friend and hair stylist, Andrea Goldklang, said it best when she posted in Facebook, “More than ever this Thanksgiving we are thankful for the simple things and realize now that they are not so simple and that love, life, family and friendships are all gifts! Happy Thanksgiving!”

Andrea would know very well how the simple things are not as they seem. Andrea’s son, Nolan, has been in and out of the hospital since June getting rid of leukemia. Her eight year old baby boy has been through a storm of proportions that all parents pray to never go through. And in all of the wind and speed, when you read a blog that Andrea created, you get a sense of being in the eye of the storm, that little spot in the middle where the peace is.

I won’t use the word calm, who could be calm when their son has leukemia? But grace comes to mind. Acceptance. Love of life. Appreciation of the little things. I have learned so much from her, not just about going through a painful experience, but how to live life to its fullest and appreciate everything.

It was her post in Facebook that had me deciding that ultimately, this Thanksgiving, I am honoring the little things. The feelings I get from those around me. The ordinary acts of a day that may seem simple, but in the end make up a lifetime. They really are not so simple after all because they equal up to love, life, family and friendships. And for me, a feeling of peace and infinite gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving!