I started this list last Friday, and I thought it was worth repeating – along with a few additions – as we all head into our Thanksgiving holidays tomorrow. Whether we are with family and friends or celebrating by ourselves, whether we live and die by tradition or love to mix it up in our holiday, the central theme is the same – that in more ways than we can count, we are blessed.
I'm thankful for those I love who are near. My friends who call on their way home from work, who drop me off a Sonic slush for no reason other than they know it makes me smile, who would walk through my door if their health let them, and who would stand outside my window just to wave if they thought I needed to see a friendly face.
I am so very blessed.
I'm thankful for those I love who are far. My friends and family who call when I've been quiet, who text and email and Skype to keep me a part of their lives. For those who send me pictures of sunsets and videos while on walks or while simply sitting at their desk at work – just to give me a glimpse of the world outside my walls. They love me as I am, where I am.
I am so very blessed.
I'm thankful for my pesky pup. The one who lays with me for hours on end and would rather snuggle under covers than retrieve a ball or romp outside. I'm also thankful he pesters me now and then for fresh water and makes me get up out of bed even when it hurts, because I count him as my physical therapist for pushing me beyond my comfort. :) And I count him as my counselor, too, as he lets me cry and makes me laugh and keeps me sane.
I am so very blessed.
I'm thankful for my faith. I'm thankful for the deepest knowledge that there is a God and He loves me. I am so very grateful that He came to earth and saved the world so we can all be together someday for eternity. Without knowing that, I couldn't do what He needs of me in the here and now.
I am so very blessed.
I'm so very thankful for all of you. You, who are the dessert at the end of a very filling meal. You who show up here, who found me sitting by myself on the other end of this computer screen and decided to stick around and keep me company. You who remind me, every single day, that I am not doing this life alone.
I am so very blessed.
Mostly, this year, I'm thankful for the 37 years I got to spend sharing this life with my dad. I am thankful for his laugh, the twinkle in his eye, the whistle on his lips, the dance in his step, his booming whistle, his big soft hands and ornery personality. I'm thankful he lived big, he played big, he worked hard and loved even harder. I'm thankful I got to hear his jokes – the ones that were funny and the ones that weren't – I'm thankful that he lightened the atmosphere of any room he walked into simply by being his joyful self and he brightened my world simply by loving me so well.
I have been so very blessed.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
I am thankful for you every day.