Whatcha Thankin’?
It has been another years of ups and downs, hasn’t it? Still coming out the other side of it more or less healthy, about as wealthy and hopefully more wise is an achievement, isn’t it? At least wise enough to know and to be thankful for so much. Right?
I have mentioned before that my parents are both 85 this year. They have both had health issues which put them in the hospital for needed surgeries. Fortunately, those surgeries were successful and they have both totally healed from them and why they were needed. Obviously, I am very thankful and grateful for those! I am also thankful that I was able to move down and be with them as they have aged, and Mom tells me any times that she is grateful and thankful I am here because she could not do all The Things by herself. Dad’s last major issue to deal with is his short term memory loss, a major reason why Mom knows she can’t handle all The Things by herself. he’s not all that bad, but constantly asking the same question he’s forgotten he’s asked tries her patience daily, though she had gotten better, understanding it’s not his fault. Still, after 65 years of marriage she is still so much more than thankful he is still alive, as you can imagine!
I have also mentioned that I lost a very dear friend last May. His name is Randy and he was one Hell of a guy, very giving and the kind of friend that defines the word. Of course I remain thankful for his friendship, but moreso that I was able to visit Alaska last year and stay at his house. We never know when it is the last time we will see or speak with someone dear to us, and as much a part of Life that is is, it still hits our emotions hard, sometimes damaging them for a time. Yet, I am thankful for those emotions as the strength of them determines the strength of the love and regard we have for those we’ve lost.
Further, I am grateful and thankful that I was able to return to Alaska over Hallowe’en this year to pay tribute to Randy. So many things during that trip were such a deep balm to my soul as so many of them were in remembrance of Randy and even those surprise run-ins with people through serendipitous means were connected to Randy and yet more balm to my soul! It was as if Randy was somehow orchestrating the whole visit from Beyond…
I am thankful for the job that brought to North Carolina and more thankful that I am still employed there. I am thankful for my voracious book appetite and the ability to purchase them. This kind of homage to Thankfulness could go on for volumes, but I will only name two more:
The first is this SG community. I have been mostly absent for the last several months as I have endeavored to complete the writing of a book (more on this later) and have missed several of @fredincanada’s undead posts that are fun to write for and lost track of what has been happening with @starry but the people here are kind and thoughtful, mostly, and any conversations I have struck up with any of them have been enlightening. Of course, I have been able to flex my writing abilities here, as well, blogging more or less regularly for the first time. Thank you all who read these words!
Finally, I am thankful that I will finish the first draft of the book I have been writing on-and-off for the last ten years or, and more avidly for the last year, this very weekend! I am almost there with maybe 10 more pages to go depending on my ability to be verbose, of course! Here is the possible next-to-last update on the writing: there will certainly be more after the revisions begin!
With that, I will say thank you all once more and I hope you are basking in loads of thankfulness!
