A week of thanks....Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!  I hope that you all spent the day exactly how you wanted to...I know that I loved every minute of it!  Hailee and I snuggled in bed, painted our nails and toes, cooked our portion of dinner, Hailee made place cards for the table and I even got a workout in!  Then we headed over to my sister's house to have dinner with her family and my parents.  I love that I only had to travel five minutes to spend the holiday with my family that I love so much!     

Speaking of love...I felt so loved today!  All day long I received so many well wishes and it just warmed my heart!  I think that although we have become a society that doesn't communicate verbally as much, we definitely have become a society that communicates more, just in general.  Between texting, tweeting, posting, emailing, poking, blogging and occasionally calling, I know that I communicate on much more of a regular basis then I would if letter writing and phone calls were still the only two options.  I love that when I'm thinking of someone I can quickly let them know.  Maybe that's sad, but I think it's great.

Since it's been a day full of it, and I've already used the word too many times...what I'm thankful for #3: love.

I don't know if any of us can really define love.  I know that I can't...mostly because there are so many different forms.  There's love for your child, love for your friends, romantic love, love for a moment, love for your parents, love for a thing...they are all so different.  For me, sometimes it can feel scary.  But mostly, it just feels good.  When I love someone or something and am in that moment, I feel almost like a balloon...like I'm filling up on the inside.  Then I get the goosebumps, take a deep breath and this calm just comes over me.  It happens all the time with Hailee.  It happens often when I'm in the beautiful outdoors and looking at a spectacular view.  It happens when I squeeze on my niece and nephew.  It happens when I'm being held.  It happens when I'm at church. It happens when I share a great talk with a friend. It even happens sometimes when I have a REALLY great cup of coffee.  Okay...so it happens A LOT.  But what can I say, I love to love and I love to be loved, and I am thankful for that.  Sometimes I'm not the greatest at showing it...but that is a work in progress.   

Okay...after all of that lovey dovey stuff...I do have to admit that much of what inspired me to write on the subject of love for today was the following scenario, pulled straight from tonight...

After dinner, as we sat and ate dessert, my nephew Ben made a comment about there being no "punkin" pie.  I, for one, was thrilled because I cannot STAND pumpkin pie.  In fact, it makes me gag.  There are VERY few foods on this earth that I won't eat...that is one of them.  Anyway...Mike followed Ben's comment  up with "Well Ben, what did YOU make for dinner?" At the age of four, no one expected him to actually contribute, but Mike was trying to make the point that maybe he should be thankful for what everyone DID make.  Ben responded with a silly smile and said "Nooooooooothing."  After a brief pause, Hailee pipes in with  "Love.  Ben made love for dinner."  Yep.  She did.  She really did.  As you would expect, all of the adults burst into laughter.  Not knowing why we were laughing, but wanting to ride that wave, Hailee continues with "Ben always makes love for every meal. He makes love all the time."  Oh, to be young and sweet again....