The Thanksgiving Tree

I'll admit straight off in this blog that holidays are particularly difficult for me.  And for lots of different reasons that I don't really want to dredge up right this minute.  So having a son who is ALL about the holidays... well, it is forcing me to get over my hang-ups so that he can have a good time.  Halloween this year was really enjoyable for him and he is getting super-excited about Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up...

But the last two weeks in the Williamson household have been full of circumstances that have not been convenient and are most certainly worrisome.  We are down to one vehicle which is hard with us working the split-schedule that we do... a beloved family member is ill and in the hospital... and loads of other worries piling on top of the other...

But on Friday, we went to an ultrasound appointment to have a routine check on baby boy and were informed that all is well with him.  We breathed a deep sigh of relief and on the way home, started counting all the things we had to be thankful for. 

So I have this idea and we are starting a new tradition in the Williamson household-- I put up my little Christmas tree this afternoon with no lights and no ornaments... every night we are going to name something we are thankful for... and we are going to write those things on index cards and tuck the cards away in the branches of the tree.  That way, as we approach the end of the year, we are careful to pause and be cognizant of our blessings... even when it may seem that we are cursed. 

Praise the LORD, my soul;
   all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, my soul,
   and forget not all his benefits—
Psalm 103: 1-2