Thankful for Thankfulness

In November, we keep a Thankfulness Journal leading up to Thanksgiving.  Every night at dinner we go around the table and say something we are thankful for that day and record it in our journal.  It's fun to look back and see what we were thankful for in past years, too.  For a mama, it's fun to see how children grow into truly understanding gratitude.

This is Chloe's first year participating and she has surprised both Marc and I by giving a different answer every night.  Last night she was thankful for "taking a bath", the day before "puppies and toys".    Each little answer warms my heart.

Phineas is sharp as a tack, but he's also loyal;)  Last year, almost every day he was thankful for a different Toy Story toy- "my lots of Mr. Potato Heads" or "Buzz", this year he is more eloquent but still thankful for a different Toy Story toy almost every day.  (He's also been packing for college for over a week now and "only taking Woody...and maybe my new Buzz, cuz he's new.  I'll put the broken one in the box for storage and take the new one."  He defines fanatic when it comes to Toy Story, but we let his answers be his at this point.  Toy Story truly gives him great delight each and every day, so if he wants to be thankful for them each and every day- fine by us;)  It isn't a lazy answer, he is thrilled to share it every night;)

Ava has REALLY warmed my heart this year.  She is LOOKING for things during the day she can be thankful for.  It's really the whole point of the exercise, to be grateful not just on one day, but realize we have so much to be thankful for each day.  I love picking her up from school and hearing, "Tonight, I might say I am thankful for getting really good at jump roping or maybe that E and are are really working at being better friends to each other."  Precious.

Last night, however, Ava's answer almost brought me to tears.  We'd played "Mariokart" as a family- well, Chloe and I were cheering last night while Marc, Ava, and Phin played.  It was only about 10 or 15 minutes, but it was fun.  When we sat down to dinner, her answer was spontaneous, heartfelt and is now tucked safely away in this mommy's heart.  She said when it was her turn, "I am thankful for Family Fun stuff, like just how we spend time together."

I'm cherishing these days...these precious days.  I'm thankful too, Ava, very thankful.