A Single Mom's Thanksgiving.

I didn’t set out to be a single mom–it’s not what was in the plans.  But here I am.  And I am doing well.
I like to use Thanksgiving as a time to reflect on what being a mother means to me, and all the things I am grateful for.

First, of course, is my amazing children.  God has blessed me with four bright and amazing children.   One of the blessings that has come from being a single mom, is that I have had to pay so much more attention to my kids—getting to know them thoroughly, redeveloping how this family is going to act and react together, growing closer.  We are a tight group.  There is no one I’d rather spend time with than my kids.

Anyone who would happen to stop by here on a random night, particularly when my oldest daughter is home from college, would probably find us laughing, spending time watching a movie together for family night, or a  good old game we can all play together.   We laugh until we can make no more sound.  And then we laugh some more.  Life is funny.  We were meant to laugh.

Second, as a single mom, I am grateful for all my other single mom  friends.  We don’t get to interact as much as we’d like to, but when we do, instead of sharing the frustrations (though there are times that we do share those), we mostly end up laughing–laughing at the situations we find ouselves in for survival.  Spinning all the plates and keeping them from falling can lead to some funny situations when the plates do fall.

I am grateful for those who help me be a single mom–for my job, for a sense of humor, so many more–too many to mention by names.

I'm thankful that even if for only one day, I do not think of all that overwhelms me.  A time to sit and reflect on how much I have to be thankful for!