As with nearly every person in America, today I'm thankful. I like to think I practice gratitude all year long, but today is the day many of us are extra thankful. And I have much to be thankful for. There's all of the big things such as our house, surviving an automobile accident, family, friends, jobs. I could go on and on because we've built an amazing life for ourselves.
Yet, more than anything, I'm thankful for the little things. An unexpected cookie delivery from my uncle made my Wednesday. He had no way of knowing it was an unexpected rough morning for me and his surprise drop off turned my morning around. Sweet thank you notes from some of my favorite little humans are a reminder of the impact I can have on their lives. It reminds me why I continue to do what I do. The dog climbing on my lap to be held because he's slightly obsessed with me tells me that I'll never go through anything alone (not one single moment). A random visit from people in our village because they were having a particularly rough week of parenting. I shared my own struggles, which led to both of us laughing while our kids played tag, likely comparing stories of their parents losing it on them. A pandemic could have easily thrown us all apart, but instead it has brought us closer together.
These small things remind me to be thankful for the big things in life. We are lucky and grateful for it all, but those little things really are the icing on the cake, or in this case, maybe the M&M's in the cookies.