A Month of Thanksgiving

The year 2011 has given me more to be thankful for than ever before. I have a beautiful, healthy son, a wonderful ten year marriage that continues to survive and thrive, and an extended family that continues to grow and surround me with love and support. While I can be thankful on the inside, I want to somehow express that gratitude on the outside. So I've decided for the next 30 days to embrace the month of Thanksgiving and hopefully make a little difference for those people that were not as fortunate in 2011.
I have so many ideas of what I would like to do, and I'll be lucky if I accomplish most of what is on this list. I'm going to call it my "Spreading the Thanks To-Do List".....

• Gather all the coats and sweaters (hats, scarves, and gloves) that we no longer wear and donate them to a local mission project
• Spend the entire month gathering loose change/dollars and instead of putting them in Britton's piggy bank collect them for our Toys for Tots fund so that we can use all that money in December to purchase gifts for children in need
• Pass on the love...pay for the person behind me in the drive-thru at the Starbuck's. Maybe that anonymous act of kindness will brighten a stranger's day just a little bit:)
• Clean out my pantry and donate a box to The Atlanta Community Food Bank
• Why not pick up a few extra cans of soup, veggies, fruit, etc. everytime I go to the grocery store to put in my donation box for the food bank
• The simplest thing I can do is to remember to say a genuine "Thank you" to those around me and acknowledge what they have done. Everybody deserves to feel affirmed and appreciated, especially my hubby who does so many sweet things for Britton and me every single day and deserves an extra hug or kiss for his effort. 
• Gather items off my local animal shelter's wish list and make up a care package. Some of the items they need don't cost a thing: old newspapers, empty paper towel and toilet paper rolls, plastic bags and old towels. I've always donated money to the Humane Society, but this is a tangible gift for the doggies and kitties.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

* I would love to hear any ideas or traditons that you and your family have for giving thanks during the season.