The Military Community is Thankful this Thanksgiving

A Very Happy Thanksgiving from our military-family to yours. I took an informal poll of what you, the military family, are thankful for this year; then I compiled those answers with my own thoughts. Wishing each of you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving!
(By the way these are absolutely in no particular order.)

1. My husband. He spent a year in Iraq and was with us only in-heart last Thanksgiving. Distance somehow made our hearts grow fonder. Love that does not dwindle but only seems to grow.
2. I’m thankful for no deployment this year, and a new job for my husband that has him home more for now. @householdsix
3. Reunions. Between a husband and wife; a son and parent; a grandchild and grandparent. What a blessing a supportive family is!
4. A homemade Thanksgiving Meal! – A soldier home from Iraq, my husband
5. I am thankful for my Mom. We talked about leaving a legacy one morning amongst women sitting around sipping coffee. What kind of legacy will I leave? My legacy starts with my mom. The values she taught me. The relationships she instilled. The hardships she faced with gusto. The joy she found in the every day.
6. I’m thankful my husband is not deployed this Thanksgiving. @farmerspice
7. I am thankful for culture. I grew up in 9 states and 2 other countries. I went to schools on military-bases, in the mountains of the Adirondacks, on the rich side of the tracks, on the poor side of the tracks. I can only pray my own children find diversity in their life like I have experienced.
8. I am thankful for stability. I have lived in this same house for 8 years. I’ve watched neighbor kids turn from preschoolers to teenagers, my own children had cribs in bedrooms that now have bunk-beds.
9. I am thankful to have my husband/soldier and my family, and thankful to have the rights I do, as a woman! @Arielanna
10. I am thankful for my dad. His laugh, his hard-work, the way he loves my mom, the way he plays with his grandkids.
11. My husband made it home safely from Iraq. @ArmywifeJulie
12. Nephews and nieces. I have four (& one on the way!); Most live far away, one lives a city away. I know the love I have for them is not divided, but multiplied.
13. Quiet Moments. Moments that are just for me.
14. Craziness – and as a family of five we have quite a bit of it. Because if my life was filled with only ‘quiet moments’ I’d go a bit stir-crazy!
15. I am thankful for Thanksgiving and the pressures that ARE NOT associated with it; just a wonderful meal with family.
16. I am thankful for my husband and his sacrifice. @deltagirl2002
17. I am thankful for cars, gas, transportation. The ability to travel hours away to see family, the ability to hop in the car to pick up groceries.
18. I am thankful I can play soccer! – Christian, 4 years old, son of an Army NG Soldier
19. I’m thankful that my fiance is on his way home from Iraq!! @FutureMrsCasias
20. The ability to worship where I chose. We have settled into a church I can call home. What a wonderful country we live in!
21. I am thankful for Military Support Organizations: Wordless Wednesday – Deployment Family Support
22. I am thankful for our Veterans: 101 Ways to Thank a Veteran
23. I am thankful for coffee … every morning, fresh-brewed with half-n-half and a scoop of hot-chocolate powder. (Ditto, Amen, and Hooah for coffee! – @MyArmyLife)
24. I am thankful for books & the education I have received to be able to read that book. What a wonderful ability to dive into a book for pure pleasure!
25. I am thankful for our Military Spouses: 101 Ways to Thank a Military-Spouse
26. Friends. Friends from my past, friends in my future, and friends of today.
27. I am thankful for Technology! Vets of World War II & Vietnam will tell you about not being able to communicate as easily or quickly to home.
28. … the stability of my soldiers job…we are grateful we know we have a paycheck twice a month!!! @marce703
29. I am thankful that we heard from our son in Afghanistan last night! ♥ – Facebook friend, Laura
30. As the girlfriend of a post-discharge U.S. Marine, I am thankful for every morning I get to wake up with him and know he’s going to be home with our family. I am thankful for his service to this country, and everything he did overseas to ensure our safety stateside. I am thankful for spending time with my family and look forward to a long life with them. – itsaveteransworld
31. I am thankful for businesses that support our military and their families! Why is a Military Discount Valuable for a Marketing Strategy
32. My 4 year-old. He is our third-son and is amazingly so very different then his older two brothers. I can’t always figure out what makes his brain tick … in fact, of all the boys he is the hardest to ‘read’. Oh how I love him for his differences.
33. Thankful for so many blessings from God including the good health of my family; a wonderful country to live in; for the military community that so superbly serves and protects us and their families that sacrifice so much that many do not understand! – Dale Kissinger, retired US Air Force
34. Balance. Sometimes life feels like a circus-act but there are people all around me (especially my husband) to keep me balanced.
35. I am thankful for the memories of being a military brat. My parents often hosted soldiers on tdy or single soldiers for Thanksgiving. I enjoy Thanksgiving with family, but, I do miss it with some soldiers as well. It made Thanksgiving a very special holiday. – Dan
36. I am thankful for my family and how supportive they are when we move or husband deploys. – Blogger
37. My garden and the fruits of my labor.
38. Thankful hubby is not spending another Thanksgiving in the sandbox. @Awew
39. My family and friends – Facebook Friend, Laura
40. LIFE….peace… – Facebook Friend, Lourdes
41. Military-friendly laws & politicians who really are looking after the military-family. (Like, Military Spouses finally have a State to call Home)
42. My teenager, 15 years old. He is teetering on adult-hood and the embodiment of boyhood.
43. I’m thankful for my family being in good health and my husband home safe! – Facebook friend, Sherry
44. Laughter… with my brothers, with my sons, with my husband, with friends.
45. Thankful for my Marine husband who I met on a blind date & opened my eyes to the passion integrity & commitment that is military. – @ClearedJobsNet
46. I am thankful for great hymns, modern choruses and good ol’ rock ‘n roll (and the ability to enjoy all three!)
47. Good wine. Good Food. Good Friends.
48. For our Service Members and all that they do for us to have FREEDOM!!! – Facebook Friend, Sharmon
49. My 7 year-old, *E*. There are about 9 years difference between him and his teenage brother (my step-son). In many ways *E* is an ‘oldest-child’. I am the oldest, my dad is the oldest. I love watching his personality take shape and seeing “birth-order” influence him.
50. I am thankful for Sailors, Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and the Coast Guard; their wives, husbands, children, and parents; supporters who know them and the supporters who know of them. I am thankful for the freedoms they defend. All of the family they leave behind. And the future they are ensuring for my own children.

What are you thankful for? Whether family is near to you this Thanksgiving season or oceans and worlds apart, I hope you find the time to make your own list of ‘Thanks’, mentally, pen and paper, or electronically (like a comment on this blog!).

– Leanne from MilitaryAvenue.com

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byLeanneonWednesday, November 18, 2009Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMilitary Life:Leanne,Thankful