During moments of quiet, which are fleeting this time of year, I reflect on what I’m thankful for in life. We say we’re thankful, but what does thankful really mean? I decided to look up the definition of thankful in The Oxford English Dictionary. Here’s what resonates:
- Feeling or expressing thanks or gratitude prompted by feelings of gratitude, grateful
- Satisfied, content
- Worthy or deserving of thanks, gratitude, or credit
- Pleasing, acceptable, grateful, agreeable
Grateful and content that my daughter is successfully navigating her first semester of college, making friends, getting good grades, preparing all of her own meals and studying abroad in Scotland, makes our Thanksgiving apart a bit easier. As we break bread on Thursday with extended family, we will miss Olivia but are at the same time thankful for what she’s able to experience.
Last spring when we knew she would be spending the fall semester in rainy Scotland, I gave Olivia the coveted PPL umbrella, knowing it would get good use. Hoping to capture an image of her keeping dry under the umbrella, I asked if she’d send me a snapshot. Down to the wire for this blog post, with just a little daylight left, Olivia and a friend went outside to take the picture. Of course it was the one day all week with clear skies! If you look closely at the photo, there’s not a bit of moisture. Some might chalk it up to Murphy’s Law. But since it’s Thanksgiving week, it’s one more thing to be thankful for!