On this Thanksgiving Eve, as my hubby and I work in the kitchen making dishes for tomorrow's holiday dinner, I'm reminded once again of all the things I'm thankful for. The Saviour who redeemed me, my wonderful family and friends who love me, and the freedom that comes with being an American are just a few that come to mind. All good things, of course. But what about the not-so-great things?
For each of us, our lives are filled with triumphs and setbacks, laughter and tears, joy and sadness. Celebrating the good times is the easy part. Recognizing the good when bad things happen is hard. But if we peel back the layers and delve a bit deeper, we often find, with time, little nuggets of thankfulness springing up from loss and sorrow.
So, as I sit here at my desk, with Christmas music playing in the background and the smell of pumpkin pie wafting from my oven, here's my list of thanksgiving for ALL things, good and otherwise:
God's immense and undeserved love for me that passes all understanding.
My husband and best friend of thirty-five years, who lets me be who I need to be, but always tells me the truth, whether I want to hear it or not.
My son, who inspires me to be fearless and take baby steps outside my comfort zone.
My mom, who left us far too early. Your absence here on earth will only make our reunion all the more sweeter.
My dad, who refused to live the life he was shown and chose a different path.
Those dear friends and family who accept me as I am, warts and all, and don't care if my hair is done or if I have dust bunnies under my bed. You know who you are.
My grandson, who never fails to bring out my inner child.
All the furry "children" who have enriched my life and taught me unconditional love.
Those lean times as a young married couple when we barely had enough money between us for take-out pizza. It taught us to work as a team and to appreciate the more abundant times.
The gift of books and writing, which, at a very young age, lit a spark of imagination and creativity that remains with me to this day.
Those bouts of depression and years of therapy, while certainly not fun, helped me emerge stronger on the other side and develop into the person I'm supposed to be.
My career as a nurse. My patients have taught me much about living and dying with grace and dignity.
My fellow writers and readers who have helped me immensely in my work and encourage me every day to keep doing what I'm doing. Every door I've walked through in my writing quest was opened by someone else. Thank you!
Dear reader, what are YOU thankful for? Imagine the above image is a blank page. What would you write on it?
My Thanksgiving wish for each of you is to be surrounded by good family, good friends, and best of all... good food! God bless, and have a wonderful holiday!