Stories...and a Giveaway...

It's November.

The month of thankfulness. 

The social media is full with participants listing a point of thankfulness for each day of November. 

It's kind of neat to read. 

I, however, have been fixated on just one thing lately. 

I'm thankful for stories.

The stories I get to live with the boy I met in his college fraternity, upstairs and around the corner in baggy sweatpants and a hat low over his eyes, holding a guitar he couldn't play because he thought it attracted girls, the man I now can tell the stories with to our three little munchkins, half-him, half-me. 

Stories like this past weekend...

See, we had a twenty-four hours of chaos and tears around here...

Our first baby, our pup "Pippy" (named after Pippy Longstockings...) went missing and it felt like our whole world was flipped. 

And as traumatic it was for us in the moment, as dramatic as it sounds right now, we were devastated.

My heart is left humbled and heavy for those in real loss right now,

getting a glimmer of a glimpse of a taste of the sorrow that's so present and deep in so many lives. 

I think of two different men in my life, young fathers who have just lost their mother; another mother who lost her son, and yet another mother at heart who grieves the children she's never known, never carried to full term. 

My life stories, although pockets of pain exist, seem so trite in comparison.

And yet, it's my story,

Not yet finished- the joys, the tears, the highs, the valleys all not yet revealed.

And, today, in this story, having our Pippy home, as only animal owners can understand, completes our little family again,

it's the stories like these that I'm thankful for today. 

The story I'm living, I'm writing, with my husband by my side, my children as the witnesses, 

we all have our stories.

The stories that we write with experiences as our ink and time as the pages, 

the memories the illustrations, loved ones the publisher. 

My Jeep was the command center for the mission this weekend, joined by my husband, my mom, my sister, my brother-in-law all in their own vehicles, all strewn with over two hundred and fifty "lost dog" flyers as we must have driven miles and miles just around our block. 

Remembering just how much of our baby she was through those early years...

Our one month anniversary we drove to the boonies to pick her out. 

She was the sick puppy of the litter, tired and coughing in the corner of a pen. 

Who buys a sick dog??? 

Oh, we do. 

But we fed her boiled chicken and took her everywhere for months. 

I snuck her into a move theater in the biggest purse I could find because I didn't want to leave her.

And although the amount of attention she gets has dimmed, 

she's still our baby.

We called every pound, every animal shelter, every vet we could find, my dad went door to door tying flyers to handles. 

Did I mention this was traumatic to us? 

Did I mention that I know this sounds dramatic?

Either way, it's our story. 

And I'm thankful for it. 

Anyway, Sunday afternoon, with tears crusted on our cheeks, we took yet another walk to see if we could find her. We had some sort of lead that she had been seen, perhaps picked up by someone driving a mini-van. So, every house with a minivan got a visit, a detailed description, and me, gauging, judging if they might be hiding her somewhere from me. 

They weren't.

Because, as we walked, two girls pulled up to our house from a city nearby. 

Visiting their friend in the neighborhood they had seen Pippy, tried to find her owner but taken her home with them when they couldn't. 

They even bought her a bed to sleep in that night. 

One of their friends had seen our flyer, taken it to them, 

and, as my sister said, the prodigal dog had returned. 

She was lost, but now she is found. 

And that is the story.

Yes, I'm thankful for stories...

And, in honor of being thankful this month,

We have a giveaway from  The Lovely Apple today!

I've written about them before, but two beautiful ladies run this darling shop full of creative and unique decor and embellishments...

The Lovely Apple

Thanksgiving is one of our favorite times of the year.  

The blessing of family and friends and food is cherished and celebrated. 

 The sweet absence of stress, presents, parties, calendars, and budgets which creep in on upcoming holiday festivities is lovingly noticed and appreciated.  

Thanksgiving is a simple holiday. 

To celebrate this Thanksgiving season, we'd love to help you celebrate with a giveaway!  Our "Give Thanks" banner is simple and beautiful, and will make a statement for your dinner guests, and all month long as it graces your mantle, doorway, or wall.  

This banner is easy to print, cut, and assemble, and will add a personal, hand-crafted touch to your home during this season of thanks.

We'd love to give away one printable file for our "Give Thanks" banner, along with a completely assembled banner for another lucky winner!  

Two chances to win! 

So...if you'd like to be thankful for winning this giveaway, 

make sure you're following this blog and

leave a comment mentioning what you're thankful for today. 

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