Milly Magpie

It was a mad dash up I-85 N to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. I gave our Subaru a workout and prayed the sporty BMW in front of me caught the eye of any state troopers before they clocked my trusty steed. Earlier my oldest accidentally packed her wallet in her suitcase, and could not find it. Time ticked by quickly as she tore the house to pieces, and our on-time departure wasted away to a hope we make the plane before they close the door departure. I kept my sighs and choice words to myself but practically imploded from the pain of keeping silent. She eventually found her wallet, and we made the airport in record time and ticket free.

She was a minor traveling alone, so I was able to escort her to the gate. She doesn’t need it, but I do. I will take one on one time with my daughter anytime or way I can. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and watched people as we waited at the gate for her zone to be called. Her zone popped up on the overhead monitor, and as she walked away I sighed for a different reason. My first born was boarding a plane to spend Thanksgiving in another state without a hint of hesitation or a glance back in my direction, and I was thankful.

Thankful for her independence

Thankful for our Army family waiting at the other end

Thankful she has learned the importance of nurturing and cherishing relationships

Thankful whether we are side by side or states apart we are a family

Thanksgiving makes me a bit of a sentimental mush. I have much to be thankful for, and I do my best to tell those around me what makes me thankful about their presence in my life. Ironically my thankfulness is not always born from good times. Much I have to be thankful for has come at a cost. This Thanksgiving my husband will be eating turkey thousands of miles away in Afghanistan. It is not the first holiday we have been on separate continents and it won’t be the last, but I am still thankful.

Thankful he has been able to make a career of a job he was called to do

Thankful for the reminder I not only need him by my side, I want him there

Thankful my children see sacrifice, commitment and dedication in action

Thankful for technology that lets me see his smile

Our Thanksgiving table has always had a revolving cast of characters and some family and friends are no longer physically present, but they are always with us. They are there when we serve their favorite side, dessert or cocktail, and they are there in the stories told and laughter shared over Thanksgivings past. And though they are missed, I am thankful.

Thankful we were lucky enough to love them

Thankful for the memories shared and the stories we can tell

Thankful for the reminder tomorrow is not promised

Thankful for the start of new traditions and the comfort of the old

Lately, when I turn on the TV or scroll through social media I wonder if the world has gone completely mad, or if most of the world is just plain mad; mad at this, and mad at that. Hate this, hate that and hate them. I know what people hate, but I want to know what people love. In all the bad there is good. There is always good.

I don’t remember who said it or where I heard it first, but I immediately smiled when someone looked at me and said, “Tell me something good!” A simple phrase, but one we all need to hear. We all have something good to tell and to be thankful for. You might have to dig deep but it is there, so look at someone you love and ask them to tell you something good. You will probably make them smirk, and they might even have a little something good to share.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and those you are thankful for.

KTP

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” ~ William Arthur Ward