Halloween is now over and Thanksgiving is upon us! I love November and all it brings with it. I love the food, I love the weather (except this next week, I don’t love the weather this next week. Ninety-two in November!! No thank you!). I love my winter wardrobe! All my sweaters and fuzzy socks and just the atmosphere in general. 

This has been a doozy of a year. We moved from the farm we loved, we started fostering, and with that has brought a plethora of emotions that I have had trouble processing. I know a lot of you also had some tough times this year, but this is the season to set all that aside and focus on what we are thankful for. 

I think sometimes we like to skip Thanksgiving and go straight to the gift giving and getting of Christmas. Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year,  but I don’t think we can effectively get there without really getting to the heart of Thanksgiving. The history behind it is kind of awful and makes cringe. We shouldn’t forget or try to ignore what really happened. I am not a history buff, but I do know that what we were taught in grade school isn’t the whole truth. This is why I think it is so important to never forgot that but to also make it something that doesn’t reflect that. We can make this month a time to really be thankful and share those things. The more we think about those things, the less we will find to complain about. I love that this is something that leads up to Christmas time. 

I love the 30 days of Thankfulness that goes around on Facebook. I love seeing what everyone is thankful for and knowing that some of them are really having to dig deep for those thankful moments. So in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want us to all do the same. Leave your thankful moments in the comments, and let us be thankful with you. 

I have so many things to be thankful for. I am thankful for my family, for my little Sparrow and friends that are like family. I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to homeschool my kiddos. I am thankful for wonderful neighbors that have hearts of gold and make events like The Backyard Gathering priorities in their lives. I’m thankful I have a church that is as passionate about fostering as I am and will put on an event to raise awareness and education for those interested in fostering, as well as provide supplies for families who are already on this journey. I don’t want to give all of my thankful things away right now, but you get the idea of what I’m going for here. Life isn’t always easy. Sometimes it’s just downright unfair, but it’s in those moments that I am looking for the thankfulness. Take the challenge, my friends. Don’t let this month pass you by without taking the chance to be thankful for all that you have.

Amber