lately, i find myself quite literally surrounded
by reminders of how my life,
despite its difficult challenges of late,
is essentially good & wonderfully worthy of abundant gratitude.
kitty-corner from us, we've got a dear neighbor
whose husband was killed while jogging last summer
by a hit-&-run driver, at the entrance to our neighborhood.
she's now a single mom raising their two young children
while dealing with overwhelming grief, & driving past the spot
where her beloved husband was mowed down several times a day.
our dear next-door neighbor struggled mightily with her mortgage
until she had no choice but to let the bank take over her home.
she spent the past six weeks selling off all of her worldly goods
& letting her house go to hell. she's now living in an rv in the next town over.
i've got another friend whose husband was just laid off
along with several hundred of his colleagues. he was given minimal severance,
& both he & his wife are now in their mid-50s & in search of work.
so despite the fact that we're in rather deep debt,
that we're scrabbling for cash flow,
that i've been battling bronchitis for weeks &
little boy's got walking pneumonia,
i'm grateful. so, so grateful.
i am grateful . . .
:: we're all still here together.
:: we're living in our dream house in a great neighborhood.
:: we've got three healthy, hilarious dogs to entertain & comfort us.
:: my work is picking up just in time for the holidays.
:: i've been successfully freelancing for ten years.
:: my dad just turned 80yo, & both he & my mom are doing wonderfully.
:: my cousin is cancer-free.
:: we've got great health insurance.
:: i'm feeling good emotionally.
:: autumn has finally arrived.
:: the election is over.
:: obama is still our president.
:: i'm about to spend a weekend reconnecting with my oldest friend.
:: teen girl's revamped room is spectacular.
:: teen girl still tells me she loves me, cursorily but daily.
:: christmas is coming.
:: i'll be handmaking many gifts.
:: i lovelovelove my happy green honda element.
:: for the everyday moments i see that make me smile,
make me laugh, lift my spirit ever higher.
'tis the season for thankfulness, y'all.
so, what are you thankful for today? do share.
image source: wish i remembered; sorry!!
1 comment:
I'll try again to comment!
I have also felt very grateful lately, in spite of some rather overwhelming difficulties. I am especially grateful for my own health and strength. My nearly-50-y-o body can still take a lot of hard work and keep going. I am grateful for the very excellent health of my parents, and the healing of my step-mom. I am so very grateful that my younger daughter still lives with me, even though it's temporary--I know I'll be an empty-nester soon, and I am enjoying these last months of feeling like MOM full-time. I am so very thankful for Skype, which allows me to be in touch with my older daughter and her husband, who are half a world away. I get to be a part of their adventure and still be MOM too. I am grateful for my little old car that keeps on keeping on and gets fantastic gas mileage! I am grateful for my kitties and, in spite of this recent (as in "I'm still really sore") move, a roof over my head and many wonderful mementos. (A friend of mine was recently not so lucky, as her apartment burned and was a total loss.) I am thankful for my mental, emotional, and spiritual gifts, and the friends who have helped me to hone them.
I could go on and on! I fondly remember many things that have been lost or have gone away or have passed, but I don't waste any energy on regret. Thank you, Kristen! I am very thankful for you, too!
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