Abraham Lincoln, according to some source I read recently, was the president who made Thanksgiving Day a national holiday as a way to unite the country after the Civil War. Now, I certainly don’t want to bash ole’ Abe. Lord knows he had enough to contend with, a wife with serious psychological issues, the Civil War, and then there’s that getting assassinated thing while he’s trying to watch a musical comedy.

But I truly would have appreciated if he had given just a bit more thought as to its proximity to Christmas. I seriously doubt if he consulted anyone before this declaration. Probably most of us in the South were still rocking on whatever was left of our plantations trying to find fresh mint growing that hadn’t been smashed by those dern Yankees so we could fix ourselves a decent toddy before going about the business of finding the silverware that we hid in the well. I also don’t think he and the little woman sat down and discussed the logistics and finances of purchasing food for and preparing two holiday meals within weeks of one another. Or the guest lists. “If we invite Uncle Pointdexter for Thanksgiving, are we really ready to watch him fall asleep with his face in the mashed potatoes again at Christmas?” Or the human boomeranging made more complicated in the 21st century by having parents, in-laws, grandparents, and all the variations of stepfamilies which have increased travel time and medications exponentially. Or, heaven and Wal-Mart help us all, the DECORATIONS!!!!

But, here we are. Thanksgiving is tomorrow and before the last plate is scraped (don’t forget to wake Uncle Pointdexter), people will be charging one another to stand in line for the once-in-a-lifetime-offered-every-year sales.

This year, though, I thought it important to actually devote time to giving thanks. In fact, it may become my annual tradition because I should never forget that any day I wake up breathing is a good day.

2006 List of Thanks

1. God’s understanding and forgiveness for my being a lifelong WIP. 2. Ken, my husband. 3. My children Michael (and Lesley), Erin (and Andrae), Shannon, Sarah, and John. 4. My grandchildren: Bailey, waiting for us in heaven; Emma, and Emma’s July 4th due to arrive sibling. 5. John, my brother and my nephew Christopher. 6. My in-laws, Carolyn, Scott, Mari, Todd, nephew Justin. 7. My friends. 8. For having possessions to pack after Hurricane Katrina. 9. For having a home after Hurricane Katrina. 10. For the kindnesses of my ex-husband and his wife after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 11. Our jobs. 12. CARC and its employees. 13. Neighbors. 14. Our real estate agent turned special friend, Linda, who not only tirelessly showed us homes, but opened her own home to us to live. (and thanks to Abby, too) 15. Our friends Dennis and Rhonda who also opened their home and hearts to us (and thanks Philip, Madison, and Justin). 16. My students who remind me that education is more than what is between book covers. 17. For the men and women who put their lives in danger every minute so that I can sit in peace at this keyboard. 18. For having a body that still, though sometimes begrudgingly, functions. 19. For having a home to rent while we worked on our own home. 20. For this home that we live in. 21. For being a citizen of the United States. 22. For having been able to visit Hawaii in my lifetime. 23. Books to read. 24. Books to write. 25. Seafood. 26. Microwaves. 27. Pin drives. 28. Laptops. 29. Cheesecake. 30. Chocolate. 31. Starbucks and every other coffee house. 32. Amelia and Monkey. 33. Cruise control. 34. Navigation systems. 35. Google.