Here's my list

I've been thinking about writing a post about what I'm grateful for, in honor of Thanksgiving and all. But I'm contrary, true to my name; generalities bug the heck out of me.  When I read lists of what people are thankful for, I'm looking for details, you know? Everyone is grateful for family, health, home and coffee. And it's true and sincere! But don't you want a little more specificity? (Which is a hard word to type, by the way...and to say! Go ahead, try it out loud. You spit all over yourself.)

Thus inspired, I give you my specific (but not exhaustive) list of Thanksgiving in no particular order of importance:

1. Running water in my home. (Not the water that is running all over the bathroom floor because my son left the faucet on while brushing his teeth with Irish Spring.) It allows me long showers, clean dishes in minutes, indoor toilets and clothes that aren't laundered in a tub. Glorious luxury!
2. Unlimited books. Think of it: we can go to free lending libraries, bookstores, second-hand stores, on-line stores, garage sales and access more books than our great-grandparents saw in their lifetime. I am afforded the great blessing of more books than I have bookshelves. Riches!
3. Freedom to worship. Honestly, this one gets me all the time...in this country, we get up on Sunday mornings and just take it for granted that we can go to church if we want, or stay home. We can have Bible Studies if we choose. We can have Bibles of 12 different translations laying right out there on the table, in full view of the world.  Our family drives almost 80 miles to go to our church, and sometimes it's only one Sunday a month, depending on roads and chores, and I stand there in worship crying because I'm so glad to be there. There are many places in the world where that cannot happen, or there's penalty of death. I can choose! I can worship freely!
4. Cows. You know I like them. Moving on...
5. I absolutely soak up the sound of my childrens' laughter. Is there anything better than a belly-laugh from a preschooler watching Sylvester and Tweety? 
6. I sink into my bed every night and breathe a sigh of complete bliss. I LOVE my bed. When Wayland made me take our wedding money and buy a good mattress, I thought he was the biggest fuddy-duddy in the world. We could've gone to Jackson Hole with that money! Or Bozeman! It turns out, the man was looking forward to when we were older and creakier. He's so smart.
7. Cordless phones. Do you remember watching your mom talk to your aunt on the phone, and that big, long cord wrapped around the house so they could talk and do housework? We could find Mom by following the cord and the empty coffee cups. Now I can take the phone anywhere! But still, the kids find me...
8. Grandma hands. I love to hold grandma hands; they are so soft and kind. Grandmas are a lot younger now than when I was little, so I guess the hands I'm holding are great-grandma hands, but you know what I mean. 
9. I adore hugs from friends who really, truly love me. I gather up all the hugs I can from Bookclub and they fuel me for a good week. Not polite aquaintance hugs, mind you. When I was a kid, my family called them bear hugs. That sort.
10. My husband's crazy inventive spirit. We are the same kind of weird, only he carries it off with a lot more style. He surprises me constantly with his projects and ideas, and I think he underestimates his talent. If only he'd let me market for him....