I am Thankful!

This has been what would normally be classified as a "crappy" year for me. I was laid off last December (as you may recall, one week before Christmas), a dear friend and old boss died in February from pancreatic cancer, my oldest sister died in March as a result of breast cancer, my dear friend recently found out her cancer has spread to her lymph nodes and she'll need more chemo, another dear friend's mother died recently (again, cancer), my Pastor John also died recently (you guessed it - cancer). All this makes me wanna kick the dog (if I had one). But what good would that do?

Instead I am going to try really hard to celebrate the good things in life and be thankful for them. I got to spend time with my sister before she passed away and learned a great deal about strength and perserverance from her as a result. I also benefitted from the Caring Page my Pastor had established early on in his battle. He fought hard right up until the end. My friend Terry also had a very inspirational Caring Page and his wife, Cathy, has continued to make updates including quotes from him on previous travelogs.

I am thankful for my absolutely amazingly talented and beautiful daughter, Chelsea. She continues to impress me with her kind heart and her incredible brain as she forges her way through school getting A's and writing very impressive papers. I often wonder where she gets that talent! She's become a woman to be admired! I wish I could take the credit, but all I did was supply the genes, she has done the hard work to get where she is in life.

I am thankful for my loving and supportive family - sisters, brothers, in-laws, nieces, nephews, Aunt & Uncle, cousins and all those cute little ones we have now! When I am having a bad day, somehow someone knows it and they call and offer some support or suggest a little diversion. They encourage me and keep me grounded!

I am thankful for my wonderful friends. Many of them are in the same boat as me (unemployed, losing loved ones). We commisserate, we laugh, we cry, we complain. But we know that we will survive. God works in mysterious ways and somehow these things will make us stronger in the long run.

I am thankful that I am able to get unemployment. No, it's not much and I've had to give up a few so-called "luxeries" (artificial nails, Netflix, Cable TV, etc), but I am glad it's there for me. Where would I be without it?

I am thankful that I am able to go to school for FREE! I will start classes in January (unless by the grace of God I find a job before then). When God closes a door, he opens a window and being able to go to school is my window. It's not something I would choose to do, but it's an opportunity and I have to take it. Who knows, it may lead to something bigger and better for me.

There is a lot to be thankful for if we just open our eyes and our hearts to the possibilities. I have my health (which is better than it's been in years), my family, good friends, a roof over my head and food in my belly. Life is good!