“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.”*

In the industry where I have worked for the past two and a half years, wrinkles are an absurdity, a horror, an embarassment, and a greedy slurping from a rapidly diminishing bank account as thousands of dollars are pumped into nasolabial folds and furrowed crow’s feet.

But when I look at my grandmother’s wrinkles, I see beauty.  I see richness of life, hard-working stubborness, and selflessness.  She beautiful.  And, yes, she has a thousand wrinkles of varying depth and length, a cosmetic dermatologist’s biggest challenge come true.  I love her wrinkles.  They give away a glimpse of the wisdom that she has that’s tucked away behind the exterior of Alzheimer’s disease.

It’s so cliche so talk about thankfulness on Thanksgiving, but I truly mean it: I’m thankful.  I am surrounded by a loving, solid family and am lucky enough to have my husband for a best friend.  As for those wrinkles?  Well, they are making their way onto my young face too.  Maybe a sprinkling of my grandmother’s wisdom?  And that wirey, gray hair that I found the other day on my scalp?  Maybe a peppering of my dad’s hard work ethic and strong will.  (I got the tweezers faster than you could say, “Crap!”)

It’s been a day smattered with rich, delicious, Mennonite cooking and family more than one can count and the weekend will continue with more food and more family.  And, even in all of the crazy, I look at us and think, “Wow, Grandma, you did good.”

Just when the  turkey and mashed potatoes, corn and noodles has slowed their aromatic driftings through the gymnasium, the games are pulled out and the children (now the fourth generation) run screaming, playing games together like old pals, though many have met rarely, if ever, before today.  We catch up, we laugh, we talk about old memories.  That’s what we do.  We’re family.

So, yeah, I’m thankful.  My blessings are endless and my heart is full and happy.  Every day brings it’s own twinkles of thankfulness, but mine is a collective sigh of contentment on the day set aside for thanks.

*Quote by Mark Twain