To Be Thankful

(This post was written on Thanksgiving Day while I was riding in the car to Mississippi. Being the awful blogger that I am, I'm just now getting around to posting it.)

I know that on my list of 101 things there is an item that says to list 101 things I’m happy for; I’m not going to do that today, but maybe I’ll use this list as a launching point in the future for that task. It’s Thanksgiving Day and as I sit in the back seat of the car, feet propped up, I can’t help but reflect on some of the things that have happened in the past year. So much has happened, so much I consider bad, that I often lose sight of the good. My grandmother reminds me every time I talk to her that I need to be thankful for what I have, I need to be thankful for the good. No matter how much bad there seems to be, there’s always good. There may be just an ounce or two of good with the several pounds of bad, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be thankful.

I’m thankful for the husband I have, the one who has waited on me hand and foot (no pun intended) over the past several days as I’m recovering from surgery. You can tell his love is sincere and that he is constantly thinking about my needs and wanting to take care of me. We had a conversation last night along these lines. I told him that I know I’ve told him “thank you” a thousand times over the past several days, but I sincerely mean it. Not every husband would be as generous and loving as he has been, and his response was that not all husbands have wives that deserve it. Now, on the surface that seems like an odd comment, but he continued on to say that I’m a wonderful wife and deserve the best care that he can give me. Just the thought of that conversation makes me smile.

I’m thankful for my health. Looking at two swollen and bruised feet I may not appear healthy, but that’s not true. I don’t have high blood pressure or other common ailments; I guess the work I put into working out pays off.

I’m thankful for Jackson. He makes me smile when I don’t feel like smiling. He knows the times to be sweet and just sit, and no matter how obnoxious he can be with that ball, he is a wonderful companion to those nights when I’m home alone.

I’m thankful for my family. They’re there for us when we need it and I always look forward to our conversations. Even though relationships may be strained at times, you can’t get a new family like you can friends. Families teach you a lot, and I’ve learned from my family in more ways than I could ever count.

I’m thankful for my job. Despite the fact that it has caused me several headaches over the past several weeks, I work for a great company and I enjoy what I do, which is more than most people can say. The same can be said about the Y; I enjoy what I do and who I work for. It pays the bills and while I don’t necessarily care for working 7 days a week like I did back in college, I am thankful I have that option and ability.

I’m thankful for our house. We’re pretty proud of ourselves for buying a house at age 23, fresh out of college and beginning the rest of our lives. Granted we have had several problems that we wouldn’t have had to deal with in an apartment, it has all been a good learning experience.

The biggest thing is to remember each day to take time to be thankful. That glass must be half full; focus on the good and not the bad. I still have a long way to go on doing this all the time, but I’m getting there.