Giving Thanks

It is Thanksgiving and all around people gathered to recognize the many blessings in their lives. My family was no different. . .

My family actually has a great tradition. Before we eat our Thanksgiving meal, everyone at the table says what they are thankful for. Personally I love this tradition. This year however shocked me a bit because not one person at the table had a dry eye by the time we got finished. We all teared up at some point. By the last person there were silly things being interjected here and there just for a bit of comic relief. It was a very humbling thing to witness. That said, personally, I actually only got out one thing I am thankful for . . . It's not because I only had one thing I'm thankful for, had I continued onto the many other things I would have been full-out balling - and at that point no one would have understood a thing I was saying. This left me with a whole laundry list of things I did not get to mention (including my "silly" stuff).

With that in mind here are just a few of those things . . .

I am thankful for:

* My Family

Despite our differences they without question were my rock during the darkest and scariest days of my life ever. I do not know what I would have done without them. Honestly, I do not know what I would do without them even if things had not been so rough. I owe them a lifetime of gratitude.

* My Friends

Just like my family, my friends are an amazing group of people for whom I also owe a lifetime worth of gratitude too. I am grateful for my long-lasting friendships, for friendships that have been renewed after many years apart and for my new friendships with people I feel like I've known a lifetime.

There are two individuals that I would like to single out because they are two of my oldest and dearest friends. (You guys know who you are.) Combined, I've known both these people a total of 40 years (21 years and 19 years respectively). Over the years these friends have weathered many ups and downs with me and for that I am grateful. At one point I thought one of these friendships was over for good, but when I needed this person the most they were there for me without question or hesitation. That is a true friend.

* My Life

* My Inner Strength

* The lovely meal I got to partake in this evening and the food I am provided day-after-day-after-day

* My Job

* Laughter

* The amazing opportunities I've been presented with this year

* The ability to look back past all the bad and remember that there was good that did exist - and more importantly the ability to smile when I remember those things

* A new found perspective on life and what is and is not worth getting upset about

* New leadership in our country

* Knitting - Not only have I made some incredibly beautiful things, it has been a great source of calm and led me to some great friendships.

(these are just a few of the many things I am thankful for - there are many, many more)


On lighter side of things, I am thankful:

* That the library only charges $0.10/day for overdue books vs. the $0.25 for CDs and $1/$2 for DVDs.

* For homemade Apple Pie

* For Yelp - Without it I don't know where I'd get to add my two cents about places I've been.

* For Ravelry - It's the holy grail of knitting (enough said)

* That not ALL foods contain High Fructose Corn Syrup - otherwise there would be nothing for me to eat this whole month.

* That after my next hair cut I will be that much closer to having my natural hair color back.

* For frogs

* For the internal optimism which leads me to believe that the post office will one day stop delivering me mail that isn't mine and that 2009 is "the year" for the Cubs.

On that note, I am going to sign off.

It is my hope that everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving.