30 days of Thanksgiving - Nov. 1, 2, 3

Thanksgiving has got to be one of the very best holidays of the year. I love the fact that we have a day to focus on all the things we're grateful for by spending time with family and friends and breaking bread. There's turkey and apple pie and sweet potatoes and loved ones and I can't imagine a better day.

Most importantly, Thanksgiving is all about treasuring the blessings we have. There is so much going on in this world and we are always "go, go, go." You can hardly get a chance to breathe much less count your blessings these days. For many of us, we have Thanksgiving off from work or can at least designate another day off to celebrate the holiday. I keep thinking of the Northeast right now which was recently devastated by Hurricane Sandy. New York City, the city that never sleeps, is now getting back on its feet. But for millions of people without power who crowded at a local bank to charge their phones or who were without the Subway and other sources of transportation, their lives were seriously disrupted for days.

Even in the wake of the deaths and the homes lost and the many inconveniences, I can't help but think of the silver lining of a natural disaster such as this. Maybe it's just what's needed to remind people that we aren't in control, that death and tragedy aren't elusive and that the many things we take for granted should be appreciated on a daily basis. Now is a time for giving and sharing and realizing how blessed we are. Sometimes we can get wrapped up with our schedules - our daily trip to Starbucks, our lunch plans, our work projects ... and we forget that everything can change in an instant and that God is in control, not us. Thankfully, He has a plan for all of us greater than we can ever imagine, even in the midst of unexpected disasters.

So anyway, I think Thanksgiving is so awesome that I'm gonna follow a bloggy trend I've seen and devote this whole month to it with 30 days of gratitude. I'll post a pic of some small treasure or moment I'm thankful for.

Nov. 1. These were my leftovers from dinner at Chili's with coworkers. It was so nice to just spend time laughing with friends over some happy hour margaritas. And sweet potato fries.

Nov. 2. On Friday, I bought Milano cookies that were buy-one, get-one at Publix. That's always a happy day. And I'm not usually a tea drinker but I decided to try it this fall. It's back in the 70s outside but mornings are still chilly. One of my roommates in college loved tea and would often buy these Celestial Seasonings assorted tea bags so I knew they were good!

Nov. 3. I slept in today (more than I should have) but still enjoyed some time with great readings and a cup of honey vanilla chamomile tea. Grateful for quiet Saturday mornings. Then I watched my Gators play and made a Southwest scramble with eggs, black beans, tomatoes and salsa.

More moments of gratitude to come.