Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States. People all over the country will be counting their blessings. I like to think I count my blessings every day. Gratitude is a big deal to me. Every Thursday, I post five of the things for which I am most thankful from the preceding week. I have been celebrating “Thankful Thursday” in this way for about 15 years. It is a rare week when my “thankfuls” do not fall trippingly off my fingertips along the keyboard. There are sooooo many things that I receive with great gratitude every single week. It is hard to know what to do as an encore for Thanksgiving Thursday!
That is not going to keep me from trying, however.
Here is a whole passel of thankfuls that have come my way in 2023:
- I am thankful for Max, who loves me and grows with me all the time.
- I am thankful for Todd Payne.
- I am thankful that I was finally able to release the huge burden of pain related to my marriage that I carried for over 40 years.
- I am thankful for learning to draw boundaries.
- I am thankful for the beautiful, precious, amazing family of friends that inhabit my life.
- I am thankful for the congregation at St. James Episcopal Church.
- I am thankful for Tom and Kathleen Trees.
- I am thankful for a beautiful, joyful, rewarding Alpha course experience, after a three-year hiatus.
- I am thankful for the oceans and beaches.
- I am thankful for beautiful and fragrant flowers.
- I am thankful for tall trees that dapple the paths beneath them with sunlight and shadow.
- I am thankful for mountains and streams.
- I am thankful for the leaves changing color.
- I am thankful for Cathy and Jim Gocella who supported me through the difficult time when my much-loved cousin Ann passed from this life to the next.
- I am thankful that good homes were found for Ann’s cats.
- I am thankful for my pretty, sweet, cozy house.
- I am thankful for soft, snuggly blankets.
- I am thankful for air conditioning.
- I am thankful that no hurricanes hit my neighborhood this summer.
- I am thankful for our vacations this year that were not only fun and beautiful, but also enriched me in terms of confidence, peace, and connection.
- I am thankful for the return of gingerbread at Starbucks.
- I am thankful even for the struggles and challenges of this past year because I can see how God has grown me through them.
- I am thankful that God did not leave me alone and orphaned during the struggles and challenges- because without God, there would have been only destruction instead of growth.
I am stopping at 23 because there is something satisfying and orderly about having 23 thankfuls for 2023. Also, it is Wednesday, and I am already late posting my blog for this week. Please know, however, that there are many more reasons for my gratitude this Thanksgiving week. If you are reading this today, YOU are one of those reasons!
Have a thankful day!
Terri/Dorry😊
What are your “thankfuls” this Thanksgiving week? Please share your perspective by leaving a comment. In the alternative, you can email me at terriretirement@gmail.com.