Sorry to say, but this year Thanksgiving isn't really so happy. Although I've tried very hard to focus on all the good things and blessings in our lives, all the losses and struggles of the last year are so much in the foreground that there is no ignoring or avoiding them. This is my first Thanksgiving with no living parent. No more going to Dad's house for the family gathering. It is a big change.
I am thankful for not being so poor (yet) that we have to kill and eat squirrels to survive. I am thankful that my children are healthy and normal. I am thankful that we have made smart choices that have insulated us to some degree from the "financial crisis" that seems to be fueled by never-ending stupidity. (Hey, why can't someone create a new "biofuel" from that never-ending supply of stupidity?)
I am thankful that my own health is much better than one year ago, despite having to deal with so much drama and stress.
Well, there is a lot of cooking and preparing to do today. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the India terrorist attacks. And my hopes and wishes are for all of us to take a moment to be thankful, even if not exactly happy, for our lives, families, friends, and other goodness in our lives.
5 comments:
Favorite from my 6yr old:
What do you call a fly that can't fly?
... a walk
Be what you can :-)
Thanks! That is a wise little 6 year old you have.
Hi Rae,
Hope you all did have a good Thanksgiving. The Mumbai thing was terrible - those shooters are pure evil. I was struck by some of the heroic actions of hoel and restaurant staff who risked their own lives to get some of the guests to safety during/after some of the shootings. There are definitely much worse things that can happen in the world than losing money on the stock market.
We, too, had a more solemn occasion this year; my niece's husband is in the final days of pancreatic cancer - he's in hospice and has pain medication, but they've stopped the other meds at this point, as they do no good. He's still able to talk and even eat a bowl of ice cream. My niece is really like a younger sister to me, and she has two children, 10 and 12. It's been a really tough fall, and I know things will get harder before they get better. I guess it's part of life. It reminds me again not to put off doing the really important things, what we feel most deeply about.
Ann, I'm so sorry to hear about your niece's husband. It is so hard for his family to deal with this illness during the holidays. My prayers are with them.
Thanks, Rae Ann.
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