i thought today of all days would be an appropriate time to reflect on all the things i'm thankful for, and all the reasons i have to celebrate this season!
- i'm extremely thankful for the health of my family this year. this time last year was a really difficult time for me, mostly because my grandfather had been in and out of the hospital with different illnesses and just the general aging of his body. while his health isn't what it used to be, he's currently at home with my grandmother, mother, aunt, and family friends enjoying a relaxing day of food. so i'm thankful.
- i'm thankful for my job. i think anyone with a job in this economy, no matter what the job may be, should be thankful for it. i can't even begin to express how much...safer?...i feel now that i have a job. just overall security, i guess. i can pay rent, i can pay my credit card bills. i could even theoretically go shopping if i wanted (though i think i'll be passing up on all the Black Friday hullabaloo this year).
- i'm thankful for the people in my life. my family, with whom i've had some really fun conversations with lately. N., who has shown me an incredible amount of support lately. and my friends, who have also shown me such support, and have kept me light-hearted when things were difficult.
- i have to say that i'm thankful for my growing level of patience. or, at least, my ability to not show my lack of patience as easily as i used to. it has saved me a lot of grief lately.
- i'm thankful for tradition, and how it makes me feel close to home when home is so far away. i think i'm a fairly traditional girl, all around, and not all of my family traditions are, well, traditional. but i still need them, and doing them still makes me feel better, less homesick. so while having several odd dishes around this years thanksgiving table may not seem like a big deal to some, those dishes are a very big deal to me. and i'm thankful for them.
- i'm thankful for the fall and the coming winter. because they are wonderful seasons, and contrary to what the thermometer may read, they make me feel very warm. N. and i are buying our first christmas tree together this weekend, even though we'll be in hawaii for the actual day, and i am so excited to decorate it.
- and i'm thankful for my life, and all the possibilities it affords me. i really did believe my parents when they used to tell me as a little girl that i can be and do whatever i want in life. and they were telling the truth. so even though i may complain sometimes about feeling stuck and being unsure of my direction, the fact that i even have the luxury of choosing a direction is reason enough to be thankful
courage, the turkey president obama pardoned today. he will now live the rest of his life in walt disney world.
