Days of Thanksgiving

Last year, a group of Facebook friends initiated daily posts of why they were thankful during the month of November, leading up to Thanksgiving Day.  It was a positive writing exercise that reminded us of our blessings.  This year, it began again, with different friends giving voice to daily thanks.  This eighth day of thanks,  I gave thought to my skills; something I don't normally think about but which evolved in to the question, "What skills do we possess?"  We have been taught skills that we utilize practically every day without even thinking about them.

• Cook a skillet of cornbread (Remember my great-grandmother's black skillet?)
• Make a pitcher of Southern sweet tea
• Tie a shoelace or wrap a present
• Care for the less fortunate (Momma says there is always someone worse off!)
• Clean a cut or polish silverware

Every day we utilize so many skills our parents taught us; skills that are essential to managing a home and make life a little easier.  Recently, my husband was involved in an accident, lost his job, and for the past several weeks he has been home doing minor repairs around the house.  We've cleaned out the linen closet and relocated the dog's feed boxes to a more convenient location.  This left ample space in which to build shelves to store household cleaning products.  He painted the double doors and installed crystal door knobs.  Can you imagine what a good feeling that gives me - just to look at this newly organized space? No doubt, some of his carpentry skills were taught by his father and learned "on-the-job" from previous work experiences.

Yesterday, he began cleaning the back sleeping porch and stained half the floor boards with a sealant. He assigned me the task of power washing the outdoor rug. This morning he looks forward to finishing the other half of the floor.  Meanwhile, he has chosen a project for me to begin - staining unfinished wood bookcases which we've had for several years!  Since the six months I've been retired, my daily schedule has been full of minor household repairs and projects that have been long overdue for attention.

Yes, we perform many of our daily activities without giving thought as to how we learned them.  We have skills but don't normally think to give credit for their attainment.  Many of my skills were taught by momma; other vital skills were learned from grandparents, significant others, instructors, friends and by observation. My research skills were learned from specialists and "on-the-job;"  skills that spill over into my daily life as I "google" how-to web sites such as "You Tube."  Recently, I did just that!  A windy rainstorm broke a window; I researched online how to replace a broken window and successfully completed the project - a gratifying experience. My writing and speech skills (I consider speech skills innate) are God given with more than just a litte push from college professors!

We don't normally think about our skills, do we? When was the last time you gave thought to your skills?    Who deserves the credit?  The next time I sort the whites from the colored clothes, boil a pot of spaghetti or fry chicken, change a grandchild's diaper, write a newsletter or successfully follow directions to execute a prize winning recipe, I'll thank my momma!

(thanks to J. Nobles for the idea!)