Still Giving Thanks?

  I keep having to answer that question this week as I leave the holiday of Thanksgiving which had all my family home to celebrate.  Yesterday, the daughter who lives farthest away had to head back and my heart was incredibly sad again.  I was so grateful she and her husband were able to come home for Thanksgiving and join the rest of my family all together in what seemed like a very quick time together. But it was time together and that's the part I NEED to remember to be grateful for!
  My other daughter has a one year old who has a schedule to follow and early bedtime which makes it hard sometimes to get together also. Yet when we were together as a family to celebrate her First Birthday on Thanksgiving night and it was fantastic!  
  I give in too much to self pity at times like this; when I should be thanking God that we got some time together and stop complaining to Him that it wasn't enough time.  The time we all had to together was fun, non stop laughing and loving togetherness.  What was the old adage, "It's not quantity but quality?"  That is what it was and it was a beautiful thing.
  We know we cannot get together at Christmas this year and that sent my heart plunging into depression again when suddenly the Holy Spirit sent me an idea.  Since we cannot all get together at Christmas, why not do a virtual Christmas?  People do this all the time with family in the military or living far away?  We can do that too?  So we are all going to decorate our homes for Christmas then take pictures and we'll have a virtual Christmas tour of each other's homes and decorations!  That is a wonderful reason to get into the season!
  So, really all I had to do was stop and remember.  And each time I begin to pity party, remember to be grateful...it really isn't that hard to remember.