What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

For the fact that I found the most beautiful, lovely, dreamy, sweet, weird, utterly delightful and amazing person, that I'm head over heels in love with! Who somehow also loves me!! <3

And that I got a really awesome job this year.. That's got geriatrics, and psychiatry, and awesome patients, and good colleagues, and enables me to grow and learn!! JUST like I hoped for!! :)

And... of course all the regular stuff, too. Like my family and friends and stuff. But.. this is the stuff that's new, this year!! ;)

I am thankful for Y!A. Anytime I need a good laugh I know I can come here and read some of the inanity that the fundies post.

The living God and His provisions for us all.

OK, so I'm being bitter, being petty. But every holiday I am thankful that I'm not spending it with my ex husband's family. During the hours before the meal is ready, everyone is treated to "mom" and "dad" rebuking us not having been there for breakfast, for spending only Thanksgiving afternoon and evening with them instead of our entire 4 day weekend. And warnings that "mom" has made tons of food and will be hurt if we don't eat all of it.

Finally meal time comes. There is a big ceiling fan just above the ining table running full blast. All the food goes to the table piping hot in uncovered serving dishes. Then, before anyone gets any food, they pray. And pray. And pray some more, until the food is cold. A lot of this "praying" takes the form of fault-finding, like "Dear Lord, please give Susan the good sense to buy a Chevy, not a Ford" and "Jesus help our Danny and his wife Laura understand that a wife should be subordinate and obedient to her husband." 

After about 30 minutes of this kind of "holy sniping," each person prepares him/herself a plate of cold food and one by one takes that plate into the kitchen to heat in the microwave. The first person to do so is finished eating by the time the last person is getting started. There is no dinner conversation, just gobbling and guzzling. 

Then "mom" spends the evening complaining about how inconsiderate we are to not eat all of that enormous spread she has prepared and insisting that we accept leftovers we don't want. She becomes more and more maudlin and distraught. Alcohol is involved here. Finally she has crying hysterics because all "the kids" are going home instead of spending the night and joining her for breakfast the next day. 

So this Thanksgiving Day and every Thanksgiving Day I am ever so blessed in that these people are no longer a part of my Thanksgiving. 

I'd love to hear holiday horror stories from others. Nothing like considering negatives to bring you to a greater appreciation of your blessings. 

My parents, girlfriend, cousins and doggy

Friends, family, good health and success. 

It's not Thanksgiving yet.  What's your hurry?

I am thankful for the bounty I have been blessed with and the ability to know the Truth, which is Jesus the Christ of Nazareth, the Messiah.

Donald Trump!

Go America! 

My favorite leftover sandwich EVER:

smoked turkey, mayo, cranberry sauce, salt & pepper, on fresh baked bread.

And most of all, my wife and kids and their kids, and my brother, his husband and their kids.  We'll all be together having a great, turkey time...