Many of my blog posts are prompted by thinking that there are some family and friends who check our blog regularly - and Gram is one of them. I sometimes think of people logging onto our blog and hoping to see something new, only to be disappointed my the same old pictures because I haven't gotten around to posting something. So, today I am posting this for Gram, even though she can't see it right now.
Yesterday, savannah wanted to do a craft with me. I thought about handprint turkeys and toilet paper roll Indians. But, I decided on a "thankful tree".
To be honest, there are many times that I feel like I could be a much better mom than I am. And, I would guess this is true for all moms. We are hard on ourselves because we want what is best for our families and our kids...but there's only so much of us to go around. But, now and then I feel good about the job I do as "mom".
As we cut out and colored our thankful tree, I talked to the kids about how thanksgiving is all about being aware of the things we are thankful for. We each jotted down something on a leaf - family - our health - our home. Later that day, I walked outside and found the kids writing and drawing the things they are thankful for in chalk on the driveway - without my prompting. We got silly - Gage said he is thankful for cinnamon and toast and his teacher. I said I was thankful for hot sauce and wine. Savannah said she was thankful for flowers - sunshine - and rain.
It was one of those moments when I felt like the messages I send as a mom actually take hold with them and that I am a pretty good mom.
Today, as I was hurrying the kids to get ready for school, I realized they had taken a break to write on the thankful tree. Today, Gage is thankful for our cats and savannah for family. They scolded me for not writing my thankful leaf for the day. Not soon after, I got a phone call about Gram.
So, today I am thankful for Gram. I am thankful for all the time I have had with her - the many hours I spent in the garden with her learning how to pinch back plants, how to tell a weed from a seedling, and how to divide a clump. I am thankful for her independent spirit - her tendency to speak her mind - her bottomless energy - her sense of family - her little touch of crazy - and that she made thousands of memories for me and my kids. So, today I am thankful for Gram - and I am hopeful that her fighting spirit will prevail because we have more memories to make.
