Fine, I’ll do a Thanksgiving blog. Are you happy?

My students are doing a “I am thankful for” prompt, so here’s mine:

  1. Having my daughters home for Thanksgiving. One daughter lives in Denver, CO and the other lives in Ames, IA. We are, at minimum, three hours away from one, twelve from the other. Needless to say, we can’t get together much. So the idea of having them both here is exciting. I try to keep in some kind of contact with both, either by social media messages, text, or something. My wife is a “pick up the phone and call” kind of gal, so that’s her connection. As time has gone on, they’ve gotten busy adulting, and don’t need Mom and Dad as much. It happens, and we just go with it. It doesn’t feel especially good, but they have their own lives. Having them both here for a day or two will be nice.
  2. Being able to see my parents. Both of them are 82 and in still relatively good health. My dad had back surgery 5 years ago, hoping to improve his comfort, but it did very little. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War and is suffering from the side effects of Agent Orange. He’s also suffers from long Covid, which has slowed him to almost a standstill. He still moves around, but needs a walker or cane, and just doesn’t have the endurance he once did as a 78 year old. My mom, she’s slowed as well, but is still spry. She loves to do puzzles, read, and go to garage sales. Between the two of them, they are some of the strongest people I know. I’m thankful I get to see and talk with them.
  3. Finally, the little things we take for granted: food in the fridge and freezer, having clean (Iowa clean) water coming out of the tap, having a warm house (winter storm coming), and clean air when I step outside. The older I get, the more thankful for the little things. Teaching where I teach has only amplified this feeling when I hear the stories of students and where their families have come from. I try to do better because I have the ability to do so.

So, what are you thankful for this year? I’d love to see what you are thankful for this year! Please let me know in the comments!