For Many Things I am Thankful, or Ruffle Butts, Sticky Fingers, Donut Faces, and Friends

When I was little, Thanksgiving dinner was at my grandma's house. There was always too much food. We had a turkey, and dressing, and potatoes and gravy. We had pecan pie and chocolate pie. Grandma made sweet tea--real sweet tea--the kind that you stir sugar into while it's hot, so you can get more sugar in it. We had a token salad, served in yellow Tupperware. No one really wanted it, but it was there just in case. Salad dressing was served from the bottles on the table, and my grandma worked miracles in her tiny kitchen. The best part? Everyone was invited. Everyone. Old friends, family, people we saw once a year. Everyone knew that grandma's house was a place to gather and feast. It wasn't gourmet. Some years the turkey was too dry and the dressing too wet. But we gathered. We warmed our backs and bottoms against the gas stove in the living room. We played musical chairs at the table, and the grandkids fought at the red vinyl booth in the kitchen. We didn't gather 'round the table and give our personal thanks. We all just knew we were thankful for each other. And for chocolate pie.

Yesterday, I went to the Thanksgiving Feast at RJ's little Lutheran school. It was a feast only in the sense that there was some food (not enough--we supplemented with Wendy's afterward). And, like my grandma used to do on occasion, they broke out the good china (Styrofoam, for those who never had the joy of eating at grandma's house). We didn't go 'round the table and give our personal thanks. The potatoes were too dry, and the bread was too wet. But, we all just knew, we were thankful for this:

Happy babies.  His place mat says he's thankful for his baby Gretchen and his mommy, his car, and his cat. Daddy didn't get a shout out, but he later announced, "I still love you daddy. I just didn't feel like putting you on here."

Friends. RJ and his friend had an altercation over who got to be the line leader. There were two people in the line: RJ and his friend. They hugged it out, and when his friend cried, they joined hands and left together. We all need those kinds of friends--someone to join hands and face the world outside the lunchroom.

And, since the leaves are falling, in two days there will be a turkey on the smoker, and because all the cool kids are doing it, here is the list of everything else I'm thankful for right now:

• The Muppets. Particularly "Mahna Mahna." It makes a Tuesday drive not so Tuesday-ish and makes my baby girl laugh.
• My job. I hate it. I love it. But it's a job. And, as RJ says, "You payin' bills today mommy?" Yes, yes I am. And I'm grateful I can.
• That we discovered the source of the smell in our downstairs hallway before my family arrives on Thursday. I'm no housekeeper, but seriously, this was rotten. And, it kept growing and growing. I had my nose to the carpet sniffing baseboards because I knew we had a dead mouse. Or, more likely, a hidden pair of preschooler panties with a present. It was a bad dish towel. In the laundry room sink. At least we found it. And washed it. And the house smells like coconut dreams now.
• Scentsy. See above.
• Ruffle butts. Sticky fingers. Donut faces.
• That we found the clicker. We watched Netflix for two days last week because we couldn't find the right clicker to turn on the cable. I'm not proud.
• Fried chicken. Warm towels. Hot water.
• My lady lawyer friends. They keep me sane. They're the kind of friends you hold hands with and face the world outside of the lunchroom. (Okay, we don't really hold hands. But we do cry in each other's offices, offer a consoling hug, laugh at our missteps and mistakes, and face the world outside the lunchroom together.).
• My not-lady-lawyer friends. They remind me that there is a real world outside of the billable hour.
•  Hostess cupcakes (they might survive!). No-slip coat hangers. Command hooks.
• My family. All of them. Even the naughty ones. (As RJ asks every time he's in trouble, "Mommy, do you love me when I'm naughty?" Of course. Because that's when you need to be loved the most.).
• The little things. The big things. The in-between things. All the things that hold me together.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!