Note to self: be more thankful of what makes me me.  It's the band wagon I'm on, as you can see from my recent blog posts.  Curiously, the woman (me) who espouses courage at every turn finds being positive about herself is THE hardest thing to do. 

Oh sure, I can write and speak about having courage.  And I have it in lots of ways, but when it comes to having the courage to believe that I am XXX (fill in the blank), I fall back to the old habit I learned as a child.  That would be repeating this mantra: "Don't toot your own horn.  People will think you're conceited (evidently a fate worse than any other according to mothers of little girls in the '50s and '60s)."  And that message pertained to outward tooting as well as inward.

So in the spirit of our upcoming day of thanks, here's my list of blessings for this year.

1.  I'm thankful for the muffin-top peeking over my jeans; it means I always have enough to eat.

2.  I'm thankful for the wrinkles at the corners of my eyes; it means life has given me lots to smile at.

3.  I'm thankful for the gray hairs; it means I've lived long enough to collect them.

4.  I'm thankful for little dark spots on my hands (cheeks too); it means I've enjoyed sunny days during my lifetime.

5.  I'm thankful for the pesky twinges in my back and  knees when I roll out of bed in the morning; it means my body has carried me far, and is still willing to go farther.

6.  I'm thankful for the cobwebs in my corners; it means that my life is so full, dusting is way down on the to-do list.

7.  I'm thankful for the myriad disorganized photos bulging out of drawers and closets; it means that my life has been blessed with people and events worth recording.

8.  And most of all, I'm thankful for the people (my husband, children, family and friends) who repeatedly counter my childhood mantra.  Because of them, I'll work harder at being thankful for all I have.