Giving thanks

With less than a week to go before my husband Robb's favorite holiday, I feel compelled to ask: so, just what are you thankful for this year?

Personally, I have much to be thankful for: a loving family; the health of those whom I love; friends both near and far who can be counted on for a good laugh or a needed cry; a happy and hearty toddler; and that my grandma who is 93 years old is still able to host Thanksgiving for a crowd that is sure to number in the 20s.

This year, I am also thankful for what I will call the kindness of acquaintances. I did not realize until we had a child how much I would appreciate the mom at the park who instructed her children to share their sand pails with our daughter or the mom at the library who had an extra diaper to spare when I'd forgotten one or the kids who offer to share their snacks with our daughter when we bump into them at the pool. Most of these people are casual acquaintances, but their little kindnesses in our moments of need are so appreciated. It has also made me so much more aware of the small, daily (some would say mundane) things we can each do to make the world a nicer place to live.