Giving thanks

Yeah, yeah, I know I'm not American and all that jazz, but surely I can take advantage of the idea to give a little thanks of my own?!

So, what am I thankful for this year?

Well, I'm thankful (despite moaning incessantly) that I have (more than) enough work to keep my family warm and clothed and fed and entertained during these hard, credity-crunchy times.
I'm also thankful that my sweet little girls are bright, beautiful and in (pretty much) good health, heart murmurs and wonky spines aside.
I'm thankful that I live in such a beautiful place, with a pretty good climate (even if it's perishing cold right now).
I'm thankful that my father is such a kind, caring man, though I do wish he'd just open up and be a little less typically British rigid sometimes.
I'm thankful that I have such a special cat - kind, beautiful, sensitive, fun, intelligent, affectionate, everything you could ever wish for in a small furry creature.
And I'm thankful for D, putting up with my many failings and irritated moments.
I often feel dissatisfied about my life. How hard I have to work just to keep us afloat, how crap my lifestyle is, how hard mothering can be, how hard being in a couple can be... But on days like this, when SO MUCH seems to be wrong with the world, I truly realise that I indeed have much to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends, and Happy Thursday to the rest of you.