Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!
I selected the graphic above because it resembled the Mr. and me.
This is the first time we are spending Thanksgiving alone.
In all of our married lives.
We were going to host our family for Thanksgiving lunch, but when I broke my ankle on the 13th, our plans had to change. I’m not exactly ready to cook yet.
We wouldn’t have had our kids at home. Chicky drove back to her apartment after spending a couple of days with me during my surgery. Rooster and his gal are all the way across the country celebrating their first Thanksgiving together as newlyweds. The Mr.’s parents and our own siblings and their family (remember that they are married to each other) are in Bigger City, Florida, where I had my surgery, and driving back over was definitely out given my recovery process.
And so it is that we find ourselves alone at home.
Rather than focusing on the negatives, I am going to, once again, find things to be happy about.
- My Faith – God is my rock; He’s my stronghold. He is strong…especially now that I am exceptionally weak. I do not know what I would do if I couldn’t call on His name, both in praise and in desperation.
From a recent First5 devotion
- My Husband – This man continues to impress me. I’ve cried a super lot since I broke my ankle and for a number of different reasons…pain, frustration, and gratefulness. I figured that he’d be super tired of all of this by now, but it seems as though he’s actually gotten energized with each day. Maybe part of this is because the shock of it has worn off. Maybe it’s that we’ve developed a new routine. I don’t know. What I do know is that he’s become even more thoughtful. Learning that my bones are brittle has given him a mission…something he can do, as opposed to being able to essentially do nothing about my ankle being broken. He has been researching how I can get more calcium into my diet, and he’s already gone out and bought specific food to help me fine tune my regimen. The man even bought turnip greens, and he’s going to cook them today! It’s incredible to watch him in action, and I can honestly say that I love him more today than even a week and a half ago.
Rice cake with almond butter
- My Children – Chicky came home in time to sit with me before my surgery, and she took care of me the first night after my surgery. She also drove me home the next day. She has texted me every day that she hasn’t been with me just to see how I’m doing. Rooster has called me every day since I got hurt. He calls when he’s on his way home for lunch or when he’s finished work for the day. His girl has texted me too, so I’m getting even more love. These children of mine may not know how much their calls mean, but I try to tell them each time we talk how much I appreciate their thoughtfulness. I’m often in tears after speaking with them because my heart feels as though it’s going to burst from all of the love I feel.
- The Rest of the Family – The Mr.’s parents opened up their home to me. They allowed me to disrupt their quiet lives so that I would be close to my surgeon and the surgery center and so I would have a comfortable place to both prepare for and later begin my recovery from my surgery. They’ve texted me every day that I’ve been home to check on how I’ve been doing. They’ve prayed for me and asked for prayer for me at their church. Super Sis made a pasta salad that was vegan-friendly, and I ate on that for dinner both nights I was at our in-laws’ house. She also came over for a sister sleepover the night before my surgery. She made sure that I made it to the bathroom without falling and even straightened my hair. There is always a lot of laughter involved when we are together.
Me…waiting in the bathroom…while Super Sis ran back home to get her straightener.
Goofy faces with my seester
Surgery hair is ready!
Chicky and I stopped by to say goodbye before we headed home on Tuesday. She’s a runner like me. ❤
- Friends – So many people have been praying for me since I broke my ankle. Several have texted me every day; some have come by to bring meals, gift cards for meals, and even a book! One prayed for me before she left. You know what? They haven’t forgotten about me either! It would be easy to stop calling and texting now that I’ve had the surgery, but the contact has increased…just when I need it most. Until 1am yesterday morning, the pain was out of control. Knowing that I’m not alone…that I have people to lean on…has made this easier to bear.
- Fur Babies – They don’t understand what’s happened. They only know that I’m not as accessible as I’ve been. They want their mama back to normal so I can curl up with them in bed and snuggle with them again.
- Yarn – It takes my mind off of the world around me. It allows me to create fun things to gift to friends. It’s one of my escapes.
Notice the name of the colorway? I bought this in San Antonio when I went to Rooster’s Air Force graduation. My ball winder is broken. My swift is not, thank heavens. I hand-wound that skein of yarn. It took me awhile, but I did it the old fashioned way!
- Humor – Imagine how much of a dull place this world would be without humor. My doctor displayed some humor when he put a smiley face on my big toe when he visited me in pre-op. Ha!
See the smiley face on my big toe?
I received the following card from my daughter-in-law’s parents. The cover is the inset picture. Her dad’s clever blurb is the bigger picture. It made me laugh out loud for real.
I found a bit of humor in the Charity Miles announcement that appeared on my phone Tuesday morning…the day after my surgery…
And then there was this…one of my bracelets that I got ready to cut off when I got home on Tuesday…
The Mr. said that I should have been wearing this BEFORE I actually fell!
- Books – They take me away to other worlds. I received this book from one of my favorite young adult writers, Allison van Diepen, on Tuesday. She and I are friends on Twitter and Facebook. She’s great about sending me pre-released copies of her new books. I cannot wait to dig into this one!
- TV – I know, I know. TV is bad. I don’t have it on during the day, unless it’s a Saturday and there’s football on, but at night…that’s a different story.
I vegged out to the Dancing With the Stars Finale (Monday night’s show) when I got home on Tuesday.
Did you watch Survivor‘s show last night? Oh my gosh!! It was a double episode, and the second tribal council packed a punch, let me tell you!!
And so that’s my list. It’s by no means all-inclusive. I’ve left so many things out. The point, though, was to think happy thoughts…to move beyond my temporal sadness to see the big big picture.
God has blessed me abundantly…far more than I could ever hope for and that which I would never ever deserve.
I pray that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!
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