Giving Thanks for All That We Have

I love this time of year. I think it's because the holidays bring a time of remembering. I remember how it felt as a kid waiting for Thanksgiving to arrive and knowing Christmas came soon after. I remember sitting around the table at Thanksgiving with my family and how my mother used all her special dishes for that day. I also rememer spending quite a bit of time polishing all the silver the day before.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner I want to remember what I am thankful for.
This has been a very difficult year for Ralph and I with the economy such as it is. We have been hit harder than we have in the nearly 21 years we have been married. I won't lie and say there aren't days when I get very down and worry what will happen to us if the real estate market doesn't pick up, but fortunately, those are only a few days here and there and not any permanent thinking. I realize the only thing that truly matters is that I have my husband and my family. All the possessions we own are just things and can be let go.



I am very thankful that we have our health, as cliche as that sounds, because our good friend and neighbor recently lost his job of 23 years due to a sudden viral attack on his heart. He no longer has the strength physically to do his job and finds himself stuck at home without his income and with not much to look forward to. So yes, I am thankful we are healthy.



I am also grateful that my marriage is so strong and I was blessed with a caring and loving husband. Many of you may not be able to say the same and are forced to stay in your situation due to financial setbacks or you have children and don't want to rock the boat.



I am truly thankful that my daughter and son are living here in the same city now and I can see them and my grandchildren as often as I want. Many of you know that my daughter and her three boys just moved here from Denver. What you may not know is that she was in a very abusive situation and came her quite suddenly for fear of her life. Those first months were extremely stressful as we had to deal with attorneys and custody issues, not to mention a roller coaster of emotions, and I was always terrified the courts might make her go back. Now she has full custody of her kids and attends college studying to be a nurse.



It's real easy to look at your life and see all the bad things that happen but if you look through it you will see a silver lining. I truly believe God has a plan for each and every one of us and sometimes we are being molded and shaped by the things that happen in our lives. Life truly is about the journey and not the destination.



Each day we get up and we have a choice of how we will approach our day. Will we choose to be positive and upbeat no matter what happens or will we decide to let circumstance dictate our mood.

I hope for each and every one of you that you find your silver lining because it's are out there.

Just look up.