So much to be thankful for

I started my morning by previewing the literary prowess of my eleven year old . Her assignment was to write a persuasive essay about why we should keep Thanksgiving as a National Holiday. Being a part of our fifth grade curriculum, this is the third time we've had the "defending Thanksgiving" discussion at the Worlton home. 

In the words of an eleven year old, "if we quit celebrating Thanksgiving, people would become ungrateful." 

I think she's on to something. Imagine what our society would be like if we didn't take a public opportunity to be thankful. Somehow we've morphed into a generation of self-aggrandizing, want-it-now, entitled ingrates. And for many, the only time they stop to realize the blessings in their lives is on Thanksgiving.  

Our 2011 "Thankful Leaves"

We have a tradition - started a few years ago via a family home evening challenge - where each day for the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, we write down something we are thankful for. I'd like to think that this simple tradition helps our kids realize the enormity of their blessings. For such a diverse and sometimes goofy group of individuals, we come up with some pretty profound (and equally unprofound) "thankfuls." Each of the six of us gets to add a leaf every day, and occasionally we have duplicates, but by day 14, our "thankfuls" typically start to reflect some deep thought.

Here's a little taste of what our family is grateful for this year: (Keep in mind our kids range from 9 -16)

I am thankful for...

My family
Rocky & Lilah (our dogs)
My home
The Holy Ghost's guidance
Cousins
School
Friends

Me! (this one appears twice)
Thanksgiving
Teknoligy (aka: Technology)
Grandparents & Great Grandparents
Food
Google (lol)
The Gospel
Talents
A strong and healthy body
Music
Chocolate
Farmer's and Rancher's who work hard so I can have food
Books that entertain and one's that teach, too
Good teachers
Dad & Mom
Trees / Plants
My amazing Ryan :)
Stores
Computer, Wii, and friends
My job
Ice cream and hot fudge
 Dichinerys (so funny, perhaps he should consult a Dictionary to check his spelling!) 
Animals

This isn't a comprehensive list, mind you, but some that gave me pause and other's that made me smile. With four days to go till the giant turkey gets stuck in the oven, we'll surely add a few equally thought provoking leaves to our collection, but I think it's safe to say, that WE HAVE MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR!