Simple thanks on Thanksgiving

I packed up the kiddos and we headed into Fort Worth to attend our first foster/adoption Thanksgiving dinner this week.

It was a room filled with hundreds of families from our placement agency and our boys were quite excited to stay out a bit late on a school night and have the chance to hang out with other children. As you can see from the photo, it was nearly 40 degrees and the kids are a smiling and giving thumbs up!

It was nice to meet other families who were foster parents hoping to adopt as well. I had small conversation with other foster moms and we shared our stories. It was a sense of therapy for both of us I think given the great sensitivity and veil of privacy we have.

As my oldest son and I made it to the other side of the crowded and loud room to take some pictures in the silly photo booth, there was a hush that came across the crowd. A young girl from the youth shelter was singing her heart out on the stage. It was a song she wrote herself about rising above and flying like a bird with a message of hope and inspiration she has for herself in the future. She had suddenly taken the room from being busy and loud to a sudden level of silence as we all turned to listen to her sing.

What made the biggest impact were the words of children and their simple thanks for Thanksgiving. There were perhaps 10 children who mustered the courage to step forward in front of a large crowd to share with them what they were thankful for. I couldn't help but to think of the adversity and challenges these little children have faced already. What could they be thankful for? I soon learned of the simple things in life. They were thankful for their food, having a clean home, foster parents who were nice to them, for people who now love them, glad they had a shelter to stay in, and their siblings.

 I found myself glancing at my husband across the table while listening to children pour their heart out and express simple and sincere thanks for some of the things we take for granted, and we both knew what we were thankful for: our three little wild kiddos who surrounded us at the dinner table covered in Mac N Cheese and crayons in hand.

Christy Benson is the director of Clinical Informatics Analysis & Measurement for Texas Health Resources, Mom to two boys, and Foster Mom who has lots to be thankful for.