T-minus 32 hours

That's right. In approximately 32 hours, we will be enjoying our yearly "eat-as-many-carbohydrates-as-you-can" feast which is appropriately named "Thanksgiving."

We will stop, and thank God for our blessings, and then we'll consume:

ham
turkey
"regular" dressing
pineapple dressing
cornbread dressing
mashed potatoes
sweet potato pie
green beans
corn (I think)
Jello salad
relish tray

and, that's just dinner. For dessert, there will be:

apple pie
pumpkin pie
pecan pie
deep-dish cherry pie

. . .and there's going to be a huge plate of cookies that my Mother-in-law has been baking the past two days.

You could look down your nose at us, but it's a tradition. We've been overeating for years. This is just our way of celebrating it on one day by consuming the equivalent of the gross national product of some third-world country.

Kinda makes one feel a bit sheepish, along with the gratitude. We certainly don't deserve such blessings.

But hey--Happy Thanksgiving!

Mark and I visited the preschool that Caroline will most likely attend when she turns three. We had our official "transition/intake" meeting with the principal of the school.

Talk about a neat place! As we came in, we had to move out of the way from the parade of ride-on toys. One of the classes was going out for a ride. It was great. Many of the kids we saw had developmental delays that were not "obvious" upon first glance. We saw a couple beauties with Down syndrome. It's so good to know that she will make all sorts of friends.

One of their trademarks is the use of "peer models," which are typically-developing preschoolers who model good behavior and life skills for the kids at the preschool. It's an amazing concept--mentoring at such a young age.

Although it seems so daunting, she will be enrolled in school on May 1. She will ride a bus - that will come to our house - and she will love every minute of it. As I watched the kids interacting, I could so see her there. In fact, I saw her, with that little pink cardigan sweater and her "bob" haircut, looking like a sweet little girl - walking down the hall to go to the lunchroom.

And, on the one hand, it broke my heart. But, on the other, it gives me so much hope. She will not be destined for a life of solitude, and seclusion. This world is open for her. She can do anything her heart desires.

. . .and that, my friends, gives me reason to be thankful!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!