Thankful for Chicken Pox

Today is Thanksgiving.

A day to be thankful.

A national holiday celebrated by most.

A day that we reflect on all the blessings in our lives.

For some this is a sad day, for some this is a lonely day ~ but for most... this is a happy-family-filled day.

Many families have to travel quite a ways to spend time with each other so I consider myself lucky that I live so close to my family. Within 45 minutes I can be either be at my sister's or my mom's. We are able to see each other a few times a month and for that I am thankful. If only I could get my brother and his family to move here... now that would be blissful.

That's reason #25 of why I love the Amish... they all live down the lane from each. They don't get married and move away, they don't get transferred by their employers, they don't go off to college and never return home. They don't grow apart like strangers and have to travel to see each other once a year.

They are family, and friends, and a support group for each other. They are a community of like-minded people. They help each other farm and quilt and raise their children. They are there for each other in the good times and the bad. They are a family... related or not.

A "normal" Thanksgiving holiday for us is spent at my mom's house. The table is always beautifully decorated and filled with a ton of yummy food. The house is filled with love and laughter and children. We are blessed with children in our family and for that I am thankful. We remember the funny times from years past, we reminisce about our highs (and our lows) , we share our plans for the future. We enjoy being together.

But... this year will be different. This won't be a "normal" Thanksgiving for us. We won't be going to dinner at my mom's this year because Andie-girl has Chicken Pox!

Poor thing... she is itchy and contagious and feared by all. Everyone is checking their bodies daily for little red spots. We are overreacting to every mosquito bite or scratch on us. It doesn't help that we worked in the yard for 2 days this week and some of us have Poison Ivy!

So I had to cancel our Thanksgiving plans yesterday with my family and start making our own. For some reason, I am not panicked about this or stressed.

We don't have a turkey.

Or a ham.

We will not have a beautifully decorated table with fine linens and china.

We will not have all the normal trimmings of dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, devil eggs, rolls, green bean casserole or pies.

We will not be dressed up in our "church" clothes.

But let me tell you what we will have... we will have each other.

We will have a table set with homemade construction paper decorations.

We will have laughter.

We will have love.

We will have a cornucopia of appetizers to snack on all day long including: a cheese ball with crackers, vegetable dip, summer sausage, cream cheese dip with raspberry chipolte sauce and cocktail sausages.

We will have a relaxing day in our pajamas.

We will have plenty of tubes of itching cream.

We will have a day spent watching home videos of years past and being thankful for all the wonderful memories.

We will have a day full of "Is this chicken pox?" questions.

We will have a campfire in the yard with plenty of marshmallows.

And if I know my children... we will have a show~ an event worthy of Broadway ~ complete with singing, dancing, costumes and a live band. There will be someone on the keyboard, guitar, drums and microphone.

No, this won't be a "normal" traditional Thanksgiving for us but it will be a day full of love and laughter and that is "normal" in our house. And for that... I am truly THANKFUL.