Almost Thanksgiving

At the Legal Secretaries conference last weekend our Sunday morning brunch speaker was Kevin Bracy who is a motivational speaker. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I already do a lot of what he recommends. I start each day (during the week) with 7 minutes on the treadmill for my physical well being. I spend quiet time. I count my blessings. I tell myself today will be a good day and that I will accomplish what I set out to accomplish.

Friday morning I made myself a list of everything I wanted to get done this weekend that was craft related. Projects to finish which were started and projects to start which were needed to get done. I finished the 2 projects which were started and finished another three. I am starting two more today. But there is something else...

Thursday is Thanksgiving. Some people view it as a time to eat, to watch football, to get together with family they don't really care to see more than once a year. I guess that's not me.

I remember the real reason for Thanksgiving. Maybe it's because I was brought up in New England. Life in the winter there is so hard, even now. Back then it was worse. Having time to share the harvest and be thankful that you have made it this far. Given the current economic times, perhaps we should again hope that all people recognize that just being here, having food to eat and not being alone, that's an accomplishment. And we should truly give thanks.

I have such a long list of blessings and people and things to be thankful for each and every day. Here's some of them, in no particular order:

1. A place to live with friends who love me and support me and treat me like family.
2. My own family - my wonderful mother, my dear twin brother who understands me like no one else, my darling daughter and her husband and my sweet grandson Matthew. My great nephew Andrew who always makes my heart light with his smile and his sweet gentle spirit. My son who I have not seen for a long time. My nephews, cousins and their families. I am also thankful for the family that is no longer with me, for the love they gave me and the lessons they taught me. I love them still. I miss my dad each and every day and I am thankful for having had him in my life.
3. My friends who are my family here. David and Dad. Susan and all her wonderful family. I will be having Thanksgiving dinner with them, as always. They do not let me spend holidays alone. Amy. My co-workers. My dear friends from Butte County Legal Professionals. And Alma who has made the last year of my life easier to get through just by being such a wonderful friend. I am so glad to have had her come into my life.
4. I have a job to go to that I love and at which I am talented. The job provides me the money to afford the place where I live, the food I eat, the clothes I wear and the ability to travel to see my family and do for others.
5. I have my faith in God. I know He is there for me. I pray He forgives me for all the wrongs I do and I ask for guidance to do that which is right. Knowing God is there for me is something I am thankful for every day.
6. I am always thankful for the ability to knit and crochet. I enjoy being able to create for others and to share the things I can create.
7. I am thankful even after all of these years for the sacrifices my parents made for me. The years when I had winter clothing that fit me, including boots, while my mother made do with worn out boots and coats. For the years when my dad worked two jobs just so I could go to college. For the Wednesday night spaghetti and the Saturday night hot dogs and baked beans. For the wonderful example they set for me and for showing me that as long as you have family, you can get through anything. And for doing just that when life was really, really hard. Like the year dad was attacked by a drug dealer's dog for standing up to him. And for staying together after the drug dealer burned down our house. For the solidity and love that they gave my life, that my mother continues to give my life. How could I ever not be thankful for that?
8. I'm thankful for the material things I am lucky to have which make my life as good as it is - Dunkin' Donuts coffee in the morning, a great bed to sleep in, a beautiful HD TV to watch the movies I am addicted to, for a car that might look bad but which runs well and that great leather chair-and-a-half in the livingroom that provides me with a comfy place to knit. And the fleece blankets I've made which keep me warm while I sit there. I do not underestimate how blessed I am to have these things. But I do remember - they are just THINGS.

If you are reading this, I am thankful you have taken the time to read my words. I hope you, too, will count the blessings in your life not just today but, as Kevin Bracy suggests and I have done as long as I can remember, every single day.

I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with love and blessings. Not just this year but every year. I know mine is.