Cyndi's Two Cents

Time to be thankful

It has become customary that I write about some of what I am thankful for during the days leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. In the hustle and bustle of everyday work and chores, it is easy to lose sight of all that is good in a world where there is plenty of bad.

As with every year, there have been plenty of challenges so far in 2011, but overall, for my husband and me it has been a pretty good year.

I am thankful that we had a good hay crop, which we were able to get up and in the barn in good shape. I am thankful for the teenage boys and girls who make up our hay crew.

I am thankful for a 100% calf crop, higher cattle prices, and bred cows.

I am thankful for the homegrown beef, sweet corn, and wide variety of peppers we have in our freezer as well as the green beans, tomatoes and other vegetables I canned in the summer that will taste so good in winter months.

I am thankful that we have plenty of food to eat and an open seat at our table for those who do not.

I am thankful for automatic waterers, gates that swing, and Neosporin.

I am thankful for the men and women in the United States Military. This would not be the land of the free if it were not the home of the brave.

I am thankful for baling wire, duct tape and PB Blaster.

I am thankful for friends who will tell me what I don’t want to hear when I need to hear it.

I am thankful that when the Boxelder tree blew over in a wind storm earlier this year, it fell between the house and the propane tank, not on top of either one.

I am thankful for our family and our church family.

I am thankful for my girlfriends, most of whom live a state or two away, but are a phone call or email away. I’m thankful for those people that I rarely see but have known all of my life and who remind me where my journey began.

Despite its’ cold floors, I am thankful for our big old farm house.

I am thankful for warm, fuzzy socks and my Ariat boots. I am thankful for the big deep pockets in my chore coat where I can fit a pocketknife, pliers, gloves, Kleenex – and lipstick.

I am thankful for the big travel mug that keeps my coffee piping hot well into the mid-morning hours.

I am thankful for so many things – and so many people – that I too often take for granted.

As the holiday season will soon begin, it is my intention to take the time to say “thank you” more often. I hope you’ll do the same.