Traveling during Thanksgiving–the busiest of busy times–reminded that I have so much to be grateful for. First off, I’m not traveling with a crying baby. That makes me exponentially luckier than many frazzled parents I saw at the airport. I also got a non-stop flight to my destination, so the chances of missed connections or excessive delays were low. And because this ain’t my first rodeo, I check my bags and carry on very little. This makes me nimble and generally more amiable than most passengers who are struggling to shove the wrong sized roller bag into the overhead. Wheels first, folks! Amateurs.
I am a grateful traveler because I have somewhere to be and the means to get there. As soon as I arrived, I felt absolutely enveloped in the warm embrace of family — cousins, parents, my sister and nieces. Heaven. Plans have been made, dinner arranged, and I am delighted. We often joke that we have a family full of Chiefs and almost no Indians. For this weekend, I get to be a plain ole Indian and I couldn’t be happier. Just tell me where we are going and when I need to be ready and I’m eager to suit up and show up.
Our dance card for the week looks full, but I’m trying to savor one moment at a time. Tonight we all made Gratitude Journal (I’m just one of the creative types in my family), which you see pictured above. This activity drove away the boys, but the give us girls a craft project and we are utterly absorbed. It gave us a chance to unwind and start the catch up process, which included an update on life in middle school and, even more fascinating for those of us reliving our youth, a set of highlights from freshman year in college. Asa group, we produced an astonishing array of artistry, if I do say so myself.
So this traveler is grateful to have made the journey, grateful to be warmly received, and grateful to love and be loved.
Isn’t that all we really need?
Boonedoggler 