As I type this, Thanksgiving approaches and two out of three of my girls are sick. They are coughing and feverish, sprawled on the sofas with their books. It looks like our Thanksgiving Day may not turnout as planned, but we're not going to get cranky about it or fail to give thanks for the abundance of blessings in our lives.

Thanksgiving has become a busy holiday full of stress for many of us. It can easily become about anything and everything except gratitude. Even if you think you don't have much to be thankful for this year, I assure you, there is plenty. And it feels good to give thanks, even if for a moment, for the things and people that fill your life.

As a kid, I insisted my dad read me the same book again and again. It was about an old man who would consistently say "could be worse" when horrible things happened. He tells his grandchildren (who think he's terribly dull) about a giant bird lifting him out of bed one night and dropping him in the mountains. Then he was chased to the sea by an abominable snowmonster, swallowed by a giant goldfish — or was that Jonah? Well, you get the idea. At the end of his story of outrageous danger and mishaps, he discovers a giant newspaper to fly home on. He asks the kids, "Now what do you think of that?" Of course, they hug him and cheer, "COULD BE WORSE!"

My dad would read the words "could be worse" with a smile and an expression that's so funny to me; I still laugh about it now.

It became a mantra of sorts between us. When things were bad, "it could be worse."  When I got my first C in the third grade, he said it. When I crashed my grandfather's Mustang, he said it. When he bought me a replacement car that required me to climb in through the driver's window or kick the door open from the inside to get out, it was an adventure, it certainly could have been worse.

And it has been worse. Life has gotten far more difficult to manage over the years. Keeping a positive attitude can seem darn near impossible much of the time.

But it could be worse.

I'm not making light of the troubles of this world, but let's not think about the bad stuff that happened this year. Let's not think of the garbage heading our way next year. Let's just remember that it could be worse and we still have a whole lot to be thankful for. If you're able to read this, then you have working eyes, fingers to click with and sufficient education to simply understand the written word. And you have a computer. These simple things put you far ahead of two-thirds of the population of the planet.

And now, as I finish writing this after countless interruptions, my children are laughing, up off the sofas, running around, experiencing what is known as the Three O'clock Miracle. It's the celebration that follows the realization that they have successfully avoided an entire school day.

So be thankful for your loving heart and your arms to hold dear ones close.  I am thankful for my adorably chaotic family, both close and extended who challenge me and make me smile daily. I'm deeply thankful for my dad, who has seen the worst and is still laughing with me.