I'm Thankful For...

Books!

The other day Mrs. Schap brought over a few new books she got from the Goodwill for Anja. One of them was "A Baby Sister for Frances." Now, I remember the Frances books, but I don't REMEMBER them. I don't remember how sweet and calm and charming they are! (Or at least this one...) It seems like so many kids books these days are filled with children who are constantly getting in trouble and parents who are never happy with whatever it is the child is doing. SO FRUSTRATING!! However, this book was filled entirely with sweetness. I read it to Anja today and then a little bit ago Martin read it to her, and he stopped halfway through and said, "I like Mother and Father." And so do I!!!!!! I know they are just badgers, but I hope that Martin and I can be as sweet of parents to our little babies as Mother and Father are to Frances. And it's so refreshing to read a story where no one argues, where parents are encouraging, where the little storybook children (or badgers) have good manners and even though they do silly things, they are understood as just being baby badgers, not as being stupid and "bad kids."

I'm thankful for a lot of other stuff too. For example, the fact that I got my pie crust dough ready and in the fridge to chill AND the green bean casserole put together this afternoon while Anja played happily on the floor. I'm thankful that our friend Joel is in town and is coming over in a few minutes. I'm thankful that I drove Martin home from his Wabash job for the last time ever, that he'll never have to travel again, never will arrive home at 2:00 in the morning from Evansville like he did last night, never have to be treated so badly by his coworkers for being a Republican. And I'm thankful that ANJA CAN CLAP NOW, only a few months later than normal, that she's also started folding her hands for prayers, that she can "sing and play guitar" just like her Mama, and that today I asked her where the kitty cat magnet was, and she said kitty cat and found the cat magnet right away. It's the only one she knows, but I think it's a great accomplishment, especially considering it came a day after the very delayed clapping accomplishment! I'm also thankful for cranberries (which I'll make tomorrow) and turkey. I'm not thankful for ham, because I don't like ham, but I guess in a way I am thankful for it because other people like ham, and that will leave more turkey for me!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!! I hope you all eat yourselves into a coma while remembering all the things that make your lives good.