thankfulness

I asked Miles what we should get Daddy for Christmas, and his response was, "An apple!"

Hmm.

I then said, "well, what else might Daddy want?"

"A nightgown! He needs a nightgown!"

Now, besides the whole gender-bending problem above, I do not own a nightgown either. I sleep in a T-shirt and yoga pants, or some seasonally-appropriate variation. Eleanor does not sleep in nightgowns either; she has one hand-me-down Winnie the Pooh nightshirt which she only wears rarely because it's not at all warm. So I don't know where he got that idea.

When asked what he would like for Christmas, Miles suggests some gum. Or some donut holes.

And yet I'm proud of my son's low aspirations. I'm grateful that greed doesn't seem to have reached into his life yet. I'm proud that, when we go to a store, he has never yet requested that I buy him anything. We look at fun stuff and admire it, but he has not yet reached the age of clamoring for toys or candy. Occasionally I ask if he'd like some x (new socks, or a toy or game) in the future, say, for his birthday. His answer is typically, "No, thanks," or, "Maybe when I'm five," or else "But we already HAVE lots of toys (or whatever)!"

Sometimes he tells me, "When I'm (some age), I will have such and such." But usually it's more like, I will DO such-and-such at that age. (And apparently his concept of ages doesn't extend past 45. Sorry, grandparents; you're off the charts already.) He is going to be a doctor when he's 18 (more specifically, "Mommy, when I'm 18 and you're 45, we can BOTH be doctors and share a room! Or maybe 17..." I was impressed by that math...I'm sure it's a coincidence, but as it happens, I WILL be 45 when he is 17. Go figure.) He will use sharp knives when he's 10. He will stay dry all night when he's 25. He will eat peanut butter when he's 80 (that's been the lone exception to the age-45-max).

Yesterday we were driving along and listing off things we're thankful to God for. These lists get a bit random at times: core items we thank God for include our house, family, nice new garage, tankless water heater, big red car, and our favorite: heat. But the add-ons range from Eleanor's puppy (thanks, Nana!) to street lights to friends to church to sunshine to fans to closet doors to our washer and dryer to Miles' special lamp. Sometimes they really get into it! This time, Miles said, "I'm thankful for our big new house. It's very big, and it has walls and floors and ceilings. It has lots of bedrooms, and we all have a bed and lots of toys. We have everything we need!"

I got a little teary. Yes, we do have everything we need. How blessed we are, how grateful I am...and how good it is to be reminded by my son!