avoid that trap

Freewriting Friday 11/23/06

So we are here on Thanksgiving day and I’m sitting here with my freewriting. I’m thankful that I could finally get the computer working this morning. I installed a new version of skype and it was gumming up the works. Hopefully by uninstalling it I’ve managed to get my computer back. I decided to spend my ten minutes writing about being thankful. Michael talked yesterday about being thankful. He joked that a good thanksgiving sermon was supposed to include 3 elements. You have a lot to be thankful for, you’re not thankful enough, get thankful. Then he talked about being thankful about not just the things that we have but being thankful for the things we can give. So I’m thinking about the things that we can give and some of it is bound up in the kids. I’m thankful that we were able to adopt the Henry and Ana from Russia. I’m thankful that we can continue to give them what they need. I’m thankful that we were able to have Jay and that we can give him what he needs. Each of the children is special in their own way and maybe I don’t remember it everyday but I know of at least two women out there that couldn’t raise these children, so I’m greatful that we can do it. That statement actually falls into that Us and Them trap that Michael was telling us about. I’m not sure how to avoid that trap. It seems like the only way that we can talk about what we have or don’t have is in comparison to others. Some of it is material stuff. Okay more than it should be. I’m very happy to have a house and the couch that I’m sitting on. And it’s all nice on top of it. I love my life and too often I crave more of it.
But there is more than that and I’m aware of it. I’m thankful for the love and the ability to be aware of it, I’m thankful for the writing and being able to do it. I’m thankful for the family and that I still have them. I’m thankful for 10 minutes a day and the time is now up.