Black Friday: Stay Home and be Thankful | Parenting Without A ...

Crystal is thankful for the return of laughter!

I confess I fear Black Friday. As a child, I feared Black Friday the way others feared the dark, strangers and death.?Black Friday sounded?ominous?and lurking, something to feed my overly active childish imagination and nightmares. Black Friday -- a day where the sun never rises and darkness?suffocates?the unicorns. My family stayed in pajamas all day safely ensconced in our house, while we watched the television news coverage filled with images of crazed adult shoppers shoving and pushing each other over trivial things.

While my fear has dwindled (a little), I still refuse to leave the house on Black Friday. In fact, I prefer to stay tucked away inside my house until Cyber Monday. This year, I am staying home with my family, turning off the television and focusing on my many blessings. Please take a minute or several to reflect on your many blessings in the midst of the Black Friday chaos.

I am most thankful for the return of laughter and humor into my life. Before my child was diagnosed with a chronic illness and our lives were forever changed, laughter was something I took for granted. It was background noise in an already noisy house stuffed with pets, children and ensuing chaos. And then, my child got sick. Laughter was a luxury we didn't have time for in the midst of overwhelming fear and crisis management. It disappeared as if it had never been there at all.

But slowly as a flower unfurls and blooms in the springtime, laughter reappeared. I was hesitant to embrace it. I was afraid. I was worried that I was somehow being disrespectful to my child and her illness. Yet, my child was the one who embraced the laughter, the silliness. And so, laughter poured into our home again. It knocked down the walls, chased away most of the shadows, eased my weary soul.

I am thankful for laughter. May it always be the soundtrack of my home and yours!

Yours,

Crystal Intini Alperin

All of the bloggers at Parenting Without A Parachute wish you many blessings, health, love, laughter and peace today and always!

Here are what some of the other lovely bloggers at Parenting Without A Parachute are thankful for this holiday season:

Shari -

There are so many things that I am thankful for this holiday season. Everyday I count my blessings, as my life is good, happy, and drama free. My list is quite long so here are the top things that I am thankful for:

? Food on the table and a cozy, warm house.
? Friends and family that love, respect, and accept me for who I am.
? My husband who is wonderful everyday and doesn?t even know it.
? My son who is perfect and makes me laugh and my heart swell.

Elizabeth -

Sitting down at our Thanksgiving table, I have an overwhelming appreciation for those around me. As I take in the sight of the food and drink, a feast before our eyes, I realize many more people helped us prepare this meal. The farmers who grew the sweet potatoes, pumpkins and green beans. The vineyard owner who nurtured the grape which made the wine we are drinking. The silverware itself has seen over 50 turkeys! I encourage you to take in each savory bite today and heartily contribute to the conversation of the table. Blessings upon you and your family.

Jess? -

To say I am ?thankful? for what has happened over the past year seems like it would be a dramatic understatement, but for lack of a better word, I?ll use it.

I am thankful to have this adorable, growing baby bump, to have a home which I may or may not have the energy to vacuum, to have a husband who is always willing to step in and help when I am lacking the energy and most of all to have a support system of family friends standing tall for us every step of the way.

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Source: http://www.chicagonow.com/parenting-without-a-parachute/2012/11/black-friday-stay-home-be-thankful/

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