giving thanks...

i've come to realize over the years that i am beyond blessed.
those blessings may not look like i had imagined or envisioned, but i am indeed blessed beyond measure.
today is a day dedicated to giving thanks, but honestly, i think that every day should be a day to be thankful for all that we have. anyway, in the spirit of tradition, i'm grateful for so many things...
i am thankful the wonderful creators of skype because they allowed me to virtually cook a thanksgiving meal with my mama and daddy back home in orlando. let me just tell you, it was the coolest thing to be cooking my very first independent thanksgiving meal but have my parents on the computer cooking in their kitchen at the same time. i could have my back turned but yell over my shoulder and ask my mom how long to cook the chicken for, as if she was standing right there in the kitchen with me. pretty neat, huh?
i'm grateful for the cooking skills i've been taught because i produced a meal that i'm pretty dang proud of. chicken with cranberry pear salsa, caprese quinoa with basil oil, sweet potatoes, and vanilla cinnamon acorn squash for dessert. it was delish :)
i'm very thankful for having such wonderful friends in my life, both near and far. i miss my amazing friends that i don't get to see on a regular basis, but never forget the impact that each and every one of them has made on my life. and i was so happy to have been invited over to a friend's family thanksgiving get together this evening. i got to have two thanksgiving meals! and it was so fun to be with a big family and do the whole deal since i didn't get to do that with my own family this year. it definitely helped ease some of the loneliness.
though i'm feeling very full and self-conscious as i expected i probably would be, i'm glad that i had food to eat and enjoy and certainly thankful that i can be here in tulsa for thanksgiving and be living on my own and not confined, like i have been in the past. it's definitely a different feeling.
my checkbook is thankful that i will not be engaging in any black friday shopping this year ;)
and i'm thankful for all the various other things...second chances, new beginnings, fresh perspectives, forgiveness, grace, mercy, friendship, health, small victories, setbacks and forward motions, lessons learned and for my freedom. i've been given more than i deserve and i just have to remember to utilize it and make the most of it.

so there it is...the spirit of tradition - the sappy thanksgiving post that actually has some meaning behind it :)
happy turkey day all!