Sunday, December 2, 2012

Belatedly Thankful

My Thanksgiving week trip to Virginia has come and gone, and I still haven't settled down long enough to blog about it.  I can't justify doing any serious blogging until after finals, which are this week. I just wanted to take a minute to touch base and tell my readers--if any--that I haven't forgotten I have a blog.  I love writing, but I have been so very busy before and after the trip. I am about to do some serious studying this afternoon, and for the next couple of nights in preparation for the dreaded finals that are looming ahead of me. First, though, I want to list some things I am thankful for.

I am so thankful that I had safe and uneventful flights out there and back.  No missed flights or running through terminals like the family in Home Alone, just trying to make my connecting flights like I have in years past. If you've read my blog for a while, you'll remember the missed flight in the Atlanta airport in 2007.  Oh how silly I felt when I realized I had not set my watch ahead to eastern time, before the days of smart phones, which automatically update. Then there was the trip back from Williamsburg in 2010. I was so excited about connecting in Detroit, because I had never been to Michigan.  That is, until I realized I had only an hour layover, which, as anyone who flies much will tell you, is practically no layover at all.  By the time you deplane and get to the gate for your connecting flight--invariably at the other end of the terminal--your flight is boarding. I made it, barely, and even had time to stop and buy a spoon for my collection. Thank God for moving sidewalks.

I am thankful for the time I got to spend with my son and his wife.  Until this trip, I had not seen him since June 2011, and I hadn't seen her since the summer of 2010.  We skype regularly, but it's not the same. It was a blessing to spend an entire week with them.  We got caught up on each others' lives, saw lots of historical places, and quoted many of our favorite movies from over the years.  Everything reminds either Jeff or me of a quote from a movie, and off we go on a "quote-fest."  It's quite fun. 

Finally, I'm thankful for the rich history we have in this great country.  I am humbled by the monuments and memorials I visited.  I cherish the freedom that was bought for me by the sacrifices I saw represented there.  I do not take it lightly.

There will be a blog or two in a few days, when finals are over and I can breathe again.  For now, I am belatedly being thankful for the trip and all it represented.  Details will be coming soon!