I Am Grateful for My Family

                Thanksgiving Day is fast approaching. My husband and I are currently gathered with our six children, their six spouses, and our seventeen grandchildren. This is the first time that we have been with all our children since April 2008 when our youngest daughter was married. We had only seven grandchildren at that time. The last of the group arrived today.

                We have numerous events planned for the week. The most important event, other than simply being together, will be a family picture. A major topic of discussion was dress code for the pictures. We decided on dressy casual standards with black or gray as the basic color with individual families choosing colors to go with them. My husband and I had a difficult time finding a shirt for him to wear for the occasion.

                Tonight we had a family talent show. Some of the grandchildren are budding musicians. We had several who played piano solos, some who played other instruments or sand, and our oldest granddaughter – fourteen years old – sang and accompanied herself with the guitar. A younger granddaughter is an author who read one of her original stories. There were several exhibits by budding artists and other talents. The highlight of the evening was our son – who does not play the guitar or sing – strumming the guitar and singing. We held a family spelling bee after the talent show. The older grandchildren went longer than the younger ones, and the last two were evenly matched for too long.

                Earlier this evening I asked each of my grandchildren and some of their parents what they were most grateful for this Thanksgiving season. Almost all of them said that they were grateful for their family. Some of them were more specific in saying they were grateful for their cousins or the cousins their age, but the major answer was “family.”

                I too am grateful for my family. I am grateful to be the mother of six children. I am grateful that they are all happily married, well educated, and productive members of their communities. I am also grateful to be the grandmother of seventeen grandchildren. I am that we are all comparatively healthy and that each household has employment. I am grateful that my children love each other and enjoy spending time together. I am grateful that my family can be together for all eternity by keeping the covenants we have made with God.