Happy Thanksgiving!

Claire's hand turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!  It is so nice to actually all be HOME this Thanksgiving as a family.  Last Thanksgiving, Claire was still at Duke.  We have had a debate over where everyone else was last year on Thanksgiving.  Thanks to the journal that we kept each day for Claire, we have determined just where everyone was and ended the debate!  :) 

It's funny.  Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on your life, the past year, or whatever is going on in your life to give thanks.  Thanks to God and thanks to family and friends.  Honestly, I thank God every day (at least once) for Claire, for our family, and for all of the many blessings God bestows upon us.  How can I not?  We have so much to be thankful for every day.  Sometimes I wonder as parents of a preemie with heart and liver issues, are we more thankful than parents of healthy babies?  Do we obsess over being thankful because we know how, in just a second, life can change?  I don't know.  All I know is that I want God to know just how thankful I really am.  All the time. 

Thankful doesn't even really begin to describe how I feel on a daily basis.   I am thankful for everything.  I try not to complain much, but I know that I do.  I'm only human, right?  So even though Thanksgiving is a time that everyone should be thankful, I think we should try to practice it more than just one week a year.  Try to be thankful each and every day.  Thank someone for being who they are, for taking the time to just listen to you, or for brightening your day.  Thank God for your children - healthy or unhealthy - as He made them in His image. 

Thank a farmer for the food you and your family eat each and every day.  They work hard to produce safe and healthy food for you.  Thank your Walmart greeter for giving you a smile, welcoming you to the store, and giving your children a yellow smiley face sticker as he could be your 85 year old grandfather still working to help his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.  Thank your parents for all that they do and all the sacrifices they make to create a better life for you.  Thank your BCBS of NC account manager for sending you a $20 Food Lion gift card for Thanksgiving just because when we probably should have sent her one for managing our million dollar claims.   You get the point.  Just be thankful!

We hope you enjoy this Thanksgiving with your family and friends!  I can't wait to see what Thanksgiving food Claire will want to try! 

Love,
The Scott Family