Giving Thanks

When I sit down to think about it, the fact that I’ve never written a post dedicated to Thanksgiving is strange. I love Thanksgiving, and I’ve often written about my other favourite holidays. I’m remedying the absence of Thanksgiving posts today. Following the example of Tracey (who, as a fellow Canadian, also celebrates Thanksgiving at a reasonable time), I have made a list of gratitude:

Cranberries

To be perfectly honest, I always let the cranberry bowl pass by me untouched at Thanksgiving. But I do enjoy them in muffins and with white chocolate cookies. This little red fruit is so bright, so firm, and so fun to pick, that I always harvest way more than I need.

Rain

There’s something comforting in watching heavy rain as it ripples glossy leaves, listening to it drumming, and seeing the deep grey clouds turn everything misty. Granted, this is all better enjoyed while safe indoors.

Tea

Enjoying the rain in comfort is best done with a tall mug of tea close at hand. I like to say I inherited my love for this sacred brew through my tea-merchant ancestor, but maybe tea flows through my veins just because I drink it so often.

History Books

I love books in general, but I believe history books deserve a special mention. Sometimes I need books on a specific topic to satisfy my curiosity. Other times I just need a good story, and the past has plenty of stories just waiting to be found.

Suzannah Rowntree’s Reviews

This is the place to go for insightful book reviews, especially when one is looking for a good classic, epic, poem, or history book. I’ve found many good recommendations here, and Suzannah will often kindly add a link to Project Gutenberg or Librivox.

Art

I can’t be specific with this one—I’m thankful for art in too many ways! I love working on a creative project, and I love finishing to sit back and admire it. But I’m also grateful for other people’s art—for being able to mill about museums and see the work of the masters, or seeing an update from my favourite present-day artists on Instagram.

Mints

Mints are the classiest candies, and also the most useful. I like to have some by my desk for mulling over while I work, and some in my bags to eradicate coffee-breath when I’m out and about.   Maybe those are just excuses to eat candy, though.

Robin Song

Robins make the prettiest bird music. I don’t even mind if they choose to sing at 5 in the morning, I’ll still lie in bed and enjoy it. It’s interesting how robins seem to be put into the singing mood by a good rainfall, making a rainy day that much better.

My Bible

It’s shiny new and I’m ridiculously proud of it. I’ve needed a new bible for a long time, and it feels good to have a bible that’s not falling apart in my hands. But durability and attractiveness aside, I’m also grateful to be able to have the scriptures so readily available in my own language.

My Dog

She’s fourteen now, and I’m not sure how long I’ll have her around. Keeping this in mind, I take care to give her extra pets, digging my hands into her fluff and scrubbing her head.

Misty

While ten is a good number to stop at, I know I could keep going. They say it’s good practice to make lists of things we are thankful for, and I’m reminded of Philippians 4:8. What a brilliant idea, setting aside a time to be thankful.  Happy belated Thanksgiving… or Early, I suppose.