Counting my blessings...one domino at a time

I have so much to be grateful for this year (yes, I know I'm a little late for a Thanksgiving post, but better late than never)... my husband was home for Thanksgiving, he's still gainfully employed, our kids are healthy and excelling at school. So many blessings, yet everyone still approached Thanksgiving with a sense of apprehension.

For you see, it was our year to celebrate Thanksgiving with my husband's parents. In Michigan.

Now before you go reading between the lines, I love my inlaws. They are wonderful people, but they just live so stinkin far away. Six hours to be exact (not counting an additional hour if you encounter a Thanksgiving traffic backup, not that I'd know or anything)

That's 6 hours confined to the car...with a grumpy tween, and husband who has traveled way too much in the last month. I actually thought most of our trip would be like this:

But, my children have a way of surprising me. Mr. B brought a book and worked ahead on his reading assignment (even using his cell phone back light to read when it became dark). And Miss Monkey just sat back quietly and enjoyed the ride. They even endured the extra hour in the car with ease (of course they deal much better when their father's in the car, but I certainly wasn't complaining).

Our visit was made even better when my father-in-law, known for being "grump-pa", broke out the dominos and asked the kids if they wanted to play. This was huge...as he's never actually played with my children (he's done other outdoorsey things with them but never sat down and played with them).

As the game progressed and dominos were drawn, I witnessed something that truly warmed my heart. Joking ensued, smiles broadened and the laughter...well, the laughter was simply infectious. For hours, I enjoyed the laughter of my children (one of the things I love most in the world) and the smile that adorned my father-in-law's face as he delighted in his grandchildren.

And that is why this is a Thanksgiving I'll never soon forget.