By Nancy
It’s hard to believe we are in the midst of the holiday season already. Christmas seems to arrive at every retail store earlier and earlier each year. It’s really easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle each holiday season brings. I’m guilty of having the Christmas gift list written out and asking everyone I know for their extra Macy’s coupons. While I love celebrating Christmas and ringing in the new year, my most favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.
What other holiday can you “come as you are” with a baked casserole and eat until your heart’s content? Growing up, Thanksgiving was always spent at my parent’s home. I sat at the infamous “kids’ table,” located in the kitchen, for years. Then, there were the “nearly absent” years where I ate quickly so I could go out to a local pub with my friends. Before I knew it, I was drinking wine with everyone around the “real” dining room table talking about mortgage rates, politics (only when my Dad wasn’t around) and other local news. It’s funny how time flies – now I’m setting my son at a little toddlers’ table with his cousins for Thanksgiving.
Best of all (yet often forgotten) Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for all the blessings (big and small) that life has given me. With that said, I have decided to make a conscience effort to thank those special someone’s and let them know how grateful I am to have them in my life. And, there is no better place to start than here at Imperfect Women. I am so very thankful to have Pam, Ann, Anya, Jennie, Samantha, Lily, Erin and Elizabeth in my life! You ladies are awesome and I am grateful for the friendships we have made!
How do you share your Thanksgiving? What are you most thankful for?
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Comments
18 Responses to Giving Thanks
Nancy,
I agree with you. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, too. I’d like to thank you ladies, for starting this site. I never followed a blog, or participated in on line chatting until I came across your original site. I have really enjoyed chatting with people I will probably never meet. It is nice to open yourselves to different opinions, and different life experiences. I have especially enjoyed links to different books, etc. I get so busy with work and family that I don’t seek out new books and movies. It is really nice to have someone say, “I think you might enjoy this.” From different comments all of you have made, I know that some of you live far away from each other. I loved finding out that Anya and Jennie are sisters. I think that you all do represent the great things about being a woman. You’ve made me look at things from a different perspective on more that one occasion. I appreciate the time you put into IW. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
This year I will be cooking for just my husband and my sons. It will be a quiet holiday and we will watch the Packers in the morning. We usually always watch a Christmas movie at night. Or some type of holiday movie. One we really love is Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
My family has had a rough past year with a serious illness of one immediate family member and the death of my sister’s son who was only 30. We also lost a family pet that was a part of our family for 16 years. It has been a really tough and sad year. But as I reflect, I am thankful for many things.
I am thankful that my parents are still with us and in relatively good health. They will be able to spend Thanksgiving with my sister and her husband and I am so thankful for that. I am thankful that my son’s health is once again stable and he is doing well. I am thankful for the 30 years that we did have with my nephew and so thankful that he was a big part of my life. I am so thankful for my sons and my husband. My husband and I have been married for 32 years and our love grows stronger for each other with every year.
I agree with Nancy and Wendy regarding Imperfect Women and all of the wonderful women (and men) that I have met. I am thankful for this blogging community of intelligent and respectful women and am proud to call you my friends even though we have never met in person. I too have learned a great deal from all of you and look forward to continuing our journey together.
I will be spending Thanksgiving Day with my two sons. They usually spend it w/their Dad but he is spending it with his stepson’s family this year. It has been a very difficult year for me financially, I have filed Chapter 7 and have seen my savings dwindle down to $0.00 in the past couple weeks and my paycheck this week went no where. I am struggling to keep my house but have taken steps to reduce my mortgage payment with my bank. Hopefully in the next few weeks I will get word that it will be reduced. But I am thankful that I have a roof over my head, a car (paid in full), a job, pets that love me unconditionally, and two boys who gave me a check to make it through the next couple of weeks, of course they also were thinking of their stomachs for Thanksgiving dinner (HE! He!). With that check I bought all the ingredients for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner for them. I will be prayerfully thankful this Thanksgiving.
We celebrate with my husband’s extended family. My family lives 6 hrs away so I have to wait to see them til after Christmas! We all share the cooking so it doesnt fall to one or two people.
I’m thankful for the same thing every year- my family.
I love Thanksgiving. We have never done extended family for Thanksgiving, it was always my parents and my three brothers. We’ve added an in-law and a neice and this year we are adding my older brother back in (he hasn’t been here in 10+ years), and his wife and kids. We actually have massive unwanted (and unwarranted) drama this year with Thanksgiving, but that always accompanies my brother and his wife. We have very little in the way of tradition. My little brother and I watch Home for the Holidays the night before, and then we watch It’s a Wonderful Life on Thanksgiving night.
I’m thankful most of all for family this year–my beautiful neice called last night (she’s 3) to say she loved me. And awesome, wonderful friends who this year are welcoming (or have welcomed) their own little additions.
First, my sympathies to Pam for her losses and for her son’s health crisis, and to BMBMGoBlue for her financial struggles. I’m glad you both have supportive family for comfort. I send my best wishes that things will improve.
My husband, son, and I will be travelling to my parents’ home. My sister and her husband will be there, and possibly a few more family members. I’m sure I’ll provide support in the kitchen, but the only thing I’ve been asked to bring is caramel popcorn…it is pretty good.
There are many things for which I’m thankful, but a few stand out at this point in my life. I am thankful for my sister and her husband, who left their home to move in with my aging parents, because my parents can no longer care for themselves. Thankful that my 22 year marriage has never been stronger. Thankful that both of my stepdaughters are within just a few miles of our home, and that we see the grandkids pretty regularly. Thankful that my husband’s job is secure, and that I have had an opportunity to earn some money in a relative’s business. Finally, I’m also thankful for this website, because it has caused me to slow down, look at what other people are thinking and experiencing, and share a few of my own thoughts.
One thing I am thankful for is finding this site. It is nice to know that there are women out there who have the same morals and values as I do. Everyone here is so kind. Pam my sympathies also to you. I know I dread the day when I lose my best friend Rusty who makes me laugh every day with his dumb dog antics. This is an amazing site and I am so glad to come here and read the comments of amazing people.
I am thankful for my family, here and afar. I am thankful for my friends, old and new. I am thankful for my health and that of my daughter and my father. I am also thankful for this great site, may the women who run it be blessed.
Pam, I am so sorry for your losses this year. I am glad you have many reasons to give thanks.
BMBMGoBlue- be assured of prayers for your immediate and long-term financial health. I do hope God blesses you with security and peace this coming year. I wish it for all our posters, even those I disagree with
My parents are hosting Thanksgiving this year. My sister’s kitchen is under reconstruction, so we may be a tighter fit into the family home, but that’s OK. There will be about 25 family members for dinner, and more coming afterwards for dessert.
We were very blessed this year with a new job for my husband so that we don’t have to move, healthy children, and the recent pleasure of expecting to bring a puppy home shortly. My son just completed college applications. It makes me teary to think of the privelege of raising these children, and letting them go. We are so lucky to have the freedom and opportunity to pursue a college education. I feel we truly won life’s lottery by being born American.
Many, many thanks to the posters and moderators here who have befriended me this past year. I am very blessed to read other’s experiences and opinions. I have come to really enjoy my online family
On Thanksgiving we always sing America the Beautiful in church. I love this song.
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev’ry gain divine!
Many blessings to my imperfectwomen friends.
I’m so thankful for all the wonderful women I’ve met that led to the formation of Imperfect Women and the great ladies who’ve joined us here.
I love Thanksgiving – good food, family and minimal stress (I know the latter isn’t true in every family!). I have a lot to be thankful for – most recently, my aunt called me today to tell me that her doctor declared her cancer-free. She still has to have precautionary radiation, but I am so grateful and thankful to have gotten to this place, after six months of worry and fear (and for my aunt, harrowing chemotherapy). We will truly be having a happy Thanksgiving this year.
Nancy, I so appreciate your kind words. Being apart of IW and meeting everyone here has been a wonderful addition to my life. It is pure pleasure for me. It would have been sad to have missed all the great people that I met had I not stumbled upon GDNOP.
Pam, I know you will be missing the ones you have lost this year. I’m so sorry. Blessings to those who have empty spaces at their homes. I know for me, it’s always a little harder and a special time for their memory.
BMBMGoBlue, I can identify w/your post. Hang in there and feel bad when you have to. Your sons sound wonderful and I bet they can’t wait for mom’s cooking. I have definitely lived flusher days. I have had so many changes in my life over the last ten years, it’s been hard to keep up. It’s been a different life than what I imagined many years ago, but I do love it and am very happy. I feel so blessed w/friends and family. I also appreciate those days when cash was more available (it will be again, so no worries). On looking back, the recreation money was spent in ways that bring special memories. I’m grateful for the experiences I have had so far and the memories of those times we spent as a family. I hope the two older boys look back at those times fondly.
Erin Kate, that is so sweet about your niece.
OMG, Jennie, I just got to your post and I am thrilled for you. What a wonderful news and right at the holiday. So happy!
Thank you all so much for the kind words and blessings. There are too many of you to list, but I am thinking of you all.
I hope you enjoy the holiday to the utmost.
Happy American Thanksgiving to all. I’m hoping to be spending thanksgiving with my husbands family this year unless the kids are still sick and we end up having a quiet dinner at home. My family celebrates two thanksgiving the first in October(we Canadian’s do it early) and then November. I sure love Thanksgiving. When I was younger my family didn’t have relatives who lived near us so my parents ask friends if they were not doing anything to come over and have dinner with our family. Over the years we added more chairs to the table and when I moved out we had at least over 25 people for Thanksgiving dinner. Thank you all for this site and how great it has become.
Great news, Jennie and Anya. Glad to hear it.
Thanks for everyone’s kind words. Jennie and Anya that is such great news! Darlene you are lucky you are able to celebrate Thanksgiving twice.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Have a restful day and for those who shop on Friday, good luck.
just wanted to wish a very happy thanksgiving to all of you!!!!
I just wanted to wish all of you a very blessed Thanksgiving with love and laughter filling your day. I know for some of you it will bring up some sad moments of the past year with the loss of some loved ones, my heart goes out to you it is a difficult time . I will have you in my thoughts tomorrow. I am thankful for finding this site most of all it has alot of interest of mine and I enjoy reading everyone’s opinion even if some times I feel there is a troll or two that come here. Thank you for sharing your lives and your input on various subjects.
Super news Jennie and Anya!
I’m thankful to be spending Thanksgiving with my 83-year-old Mom, sisters and brother. Since my Dad passed away 2 years ago, we haven’t had an official “thanksgiving” with my side of the family. My little dude gets to see some of his other cousins which he will love.
I’m thankful that my Dad was able to know his youngest grandchild before he passed away.
I’m thankful for a wonderful husband who works so very hard to provide for his family.
I”m thankful to have a healthy, sassy, adorable son.
I’m thankful to have a job I love.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
P.S. Oh – I’m very thankful to have a new(er) refrigerator! LOL!
I am thankful my internet appears to be working. I wrote my post last night on this thread and it disappeared. Oh well. It gives me another opportunity to express my gratitude.
Nancy, your words are beautiful and really touched me. Thank you. And I am glad your little dude will get to hang with more cousins. That is awesome. I know spending time with your mom on this day is a real gift and I am glad you are getting to do that.
I too have big and small blessings to be grateful for and if I were to list them, this post would go on forever. Therefore, I’ll concentrate on my IW blessings. Thanks to all my IW sisters – who make me laugh each day and are always a source of support when I need them: Pam, Ann, Erin, Jen, Lily, Liz, Nancy, Samantha. I cannot imagine not having you in my life. I guess I should also thank the Gosselins for introducing us!
I also want to express my gratitude to those who made the leap with us from GDNNOP to this new venture:
-Wendy
-BMBMGoBlue
-Erin Kate
-Mary
-Paula
-Darlene
-Kimmie
-Diane
There are many others (Jasmin, Jacquelyn, etc. etc.), I am afraid to list them all for fear I will leave someone out. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. Happy Thanksgiving!