Thankful

Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday of all. I love the food, the gathering with friends and family, and the concept of setting aside a day just to be thankful. This year, I will celebrate Thanksgiving away from my country and from both Greg's and my parents, siblings, and family friends with history. Lest I descend into a pit of self-pity and sadness by typing or even talking about the things and people I miss, I shall remember the spirit of the holiday and commence being thankful in public through my blog.

I'm thankful . . .

That friendship and generosity are universal,

For the warmth and friendliness of the Australian people, and Queenslanders in specific,

For the opportunity to live in a culture that values people over tasks (because I need to learn this),

For adventures on foreign shores, experienced as a family,

For my parents who taught me independence in preparation for leaving their nest,

For Greg's parents who taught him to be brave and unafraid,

That both sets of parents cried and then released us when we decided to chase dreams abroad,

For my brother Jonathan, who used almost all of his vacation time just to come see us,

For Greg's brothers who adopted me as a little sister long ago,

For my nephews and my sister-in-laws whose wonderful blogs allow me to enjoy their discoveries even from far away,

For Jordan, who is strong and bold and athletic,

For Meryl who is sensitive and imaginative and relational,

For Micah Jade who insists on being called "little dugong,"

For the opportunity that my children have to grow up at least for a time in a culture that lets children be children longer,

For the opportunities of serving my family in which I am learning to be less selfish,

For a cozy house that keeps out the rain and the heat,

For the opportunity to move to another house where the landlord is (hopefully) much less nutty,

For a home that is being built, not from bricks, but from love and service,

For a husband who knows me. . .and loves me anyway,

For the opportunity to evaluate what of our faith is cultural and what is truth,

That the church of God is larger than denominations and familiar traditions,

For my church here, Mitchelton Presbyterian Church, which has a playgroup and a women's group that have helped me settle in,

For the my health and the strength to cycle 50 miles a week or more,

For the bike path and all the trees, flowers, grasses, and critters that we enjoy on it,

For my bike and bike trailer, which were a fantastic gift from someone who loves me lots,

For the girls' bikes which we found on the side of the road in Sydney,

And Greg's dad who doctored them up on his last visit here ,

For the opportunity to be outside appreciating nature every day in a fantastic climate,

For the bush turkeys, ducks, fish, turtles, and cows that we see every day on our ride to school,

For the endlessness of the ocean, which is nearly ever-present in Australia,

For sand that is white and blindingly bright,

For beautiful beaches that are only an hour from my home,

For rainbows at the beach and rainbows at our house,

For bright sunshine most days,

and sunglasses to protect my eyes,

For the sound of rain on our tin roof,

And that fresh smell just before it rains,

For the tradition of morning tea, during which friends take time to relax and socialize every day,

For a comfortable living room with an hypoallergenic and dustmite proof sofa,

and a dining table around which to gather each night (which I bought for only 20$ off ebay),

For the opportunity to serve my family through cooking and baking and planning,

For my recipe books that made the journey across the ocean,

And a fantastic convection oven in my kitchen,

For the freshest ingredients I have ever encountered outside my own garden,

For the linens that came in my shipment,which have made my house look homey,

For my girlfriends in Texas and across the USA who haven't forgotten me,

For my history, both triumphs and mistakes, which has made me who I am today,

For new friends in Brisbane that have adopted us, especially for the holidays,

For our new babysitter Emma, who is already loved by my girls,

For American friends with whom to share this incredible experience in Brisbane,

For the Gallaghers, who were a roadsign to us in Austin, pointing and encouraging us to their homeland, Australia,

For their parents, who adopted us for a time and eased our transition,

For (now) old friends in Sydney, who taught me how to shop and live in practical ways in Oz,

For skype, so that I can still see the faces of friends and family that I love,

For Jordan's and Meryl's school where they are loved and protected and challenged,

For the movies where I can temporarily escape to a familiar American world when I feel overwhelmed,

For American tv shows on television (for the same reason),

For new wildlife of all sizes, mostly with pouches, to enjoy,

and new trees and flowers and plants which flower almost continuously,

For mango trees and avocado trees and lemon trees and lime trees which I have never enjoyed up-close before,

For the opportunity to hang out my laundry, and thus enjoy the rhythm of the sun,

For my washing machine, which beats washing clothes in the bathtub any day,

And my dryer to use on towels and rainy days,

For music in my home and music in my heart,

For the opportunity to surf for the first time on ocean water that is clear and blue,

For our tent in which we are making new memories,

For the laughter and craziness of little children,

For the opportunity to train and love, encourage and discipline them,

For the chance to live life at a slower pace,

For the miracle of modern medicine through which God heals my family members when they are sick,

For lonliness which turns my heart toward God, who never disappoints me,

For new friendships and new memories with our friends here,

For my husband who is a not like me at all, but values the same things I value, especially in parenting,

For Greg's job, especially in a difficult economy,

For the internet and the opportunity to write and share my experience with people who care about me,

For life lessons that could never be learned elsewhere.

Thanksgiving for me has always been about familiar traditions and familiar people, but I hope that it will be more than that as we celebrate in Australia. I still have a turkey to roast and an apple pie to make, but this year, thanksgiving will be celebrated mostly in my heart, because giving thanks is not about food and tradition, it is about calling blessings what they are and appreciating all the gifts in my life no matter where in the world I am.