Thanksgiving.

It seems almost cliché for me to write about Thanksgiving because, in true honesty, I believe that thanksgiving is an attitude that should be present in our lives all year around. It is nice, however, to have a whole day set aside as a particular reminder for us. Because, you know, it’s so easy for us to forget.

In honor of Thanksgiving Day, I’m jotting down 10 normal, day-to-day things that I’m thankful for. Of course I’m thankful for my husband, my family, my home, but those are big things. Those are huge parts of my life. What about the small things?

1. Toothpaste. I love brushing my teeth and I love the feeling of running my tongue over my squeaky clean ivories.
2. Our heated blanket. With cold weather setting in, I look forward to curling my body under the pre-heated bed to settle in for the night
3. Swiffer dry & wet mops. They’ve revolutioned the way I clean bathrooms
4. Skim milk. Whether warmed up for cocoa or ice cold with warm cookies, it’s my absolute favorite drink
5. A washer and drier inside our condo. I remember the days not so many years ago of coin-operated communal washing machines
6. My iMac. I’ve been a long Apple geek anyway and have always said that once you buy a Mac, you’ll never go back. Eight years after my first laptop purchase, it couldn’t be truer.
7. Western toilets. A great step-up from the squatty.
8. Mascara. If I would cut out every other makeup tin from my menagerie, I’d keep my mascara. (and my lip gloss)
9. iPhone camera. I don’t carry about my professional camera wherever I go, but I’m still able to capture pieces of our lives because of the brilliant point-and-shoot built into my phone.
10. Socks. I live by the rule that if my feet are cold, my whole body is cold. Socks were a brilliant invention.

There are truly so many more things I’m thankful for. I could keep going with list after list all the way down to my shower radio, the painting on our living room wall, my bookcase, and etcetera. But here’s the deal: while I am thankful for all of those things, they are, after all, just things. I would be alive without them. They are not essential to my survival.

What I’m truly grateful for are relationships. God, Kevin, siblings, my best friend, my parents, my nieces and nephews… The list doesn’t end. Relationships are the biggest blessings that I often overlook, but would truly not be the person I am without those special people in my life.

So thanks. In the words of my Grandma Emma, “Thanks for coming and for what you brought.” You’ve touched my life in some way that has made me a better person.