Thanks for this day!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

"There is a place that you are to fill and no one else can fill, something you are to do, which no one else can do."  ~~Florence Scovel Shinn

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I am reminded just how much I have to be grateful for.  I love the little elf on the left; he makes me smile.  In fact, as I look around my home, if there's something that doesn't make me smile, out it goes!

My granddaughter, Brittany, had her surgery on Monday.  Everything went well and there's a good possibility that she can go home tomorrow.  The pathology report won't be in for a few days so that's still of concern.  I am grateful for good hospitals and doctors and the latest of new surgical methods.  Not so knife happy these days!

I read on the Internet about terrorist activities, children with no food, cholera, robberies, and, of course, how could I leave out the actors who behave like morons and are rewarded.  I am grateful that I feel safe in my home and that I can drive down the road without threats of bombs.  I have a friend whose son just left for Afghanistan and I am grateful that he is willing to stand on the front lines as a medic taking care of our soldiers.

For all of my life, I've been an optimist...my glass is always half full.  There have been times when I've muttered "why me?"  But, then, I've also realized that there have always been the most beautiful rainbows after a storm.  My past has given me empathy for others who have walked on the same paths as I have and I am able to put my arms around them and say, "It's going to be ok."  Faith & trust are so important!

There have been people who have returned evil for good and have hurt my heart.  I feel badly for them.  I was so proud of myself today though as there was a big trigger that came my way and I kept my cool and realized that it wasn't anything I had done.  I was okay.  Not everyone is going to like me and not everyone is going to be respectful.  It is easy to love those who love you back; it is much harder to love someone when they are behaving badly.  God knows my heart and I am at peace!

I think of Scrooge and what a miserable old man he was.  He seemed to enjoy making everyone around him miserable.  He was hateful and expected others to take it as he walked all over them.  The ghosts of past, present and future opened his eyes and once he knew what he had done and where he was going, he changed...big time.  Tiny Tim's..."God Bless Us Everyone!" has been remembered from generation to generation.

Toby

Sadie, Khelsea and Toby are laying at my feet as I type.  My dogren are so faithful.  During my surgeries, they have laid beside me giving me comfort and company.  I am lucky to have found them.  I am grateful for the joy they bring me and caring for them is such an honor.

For years, I have kept a gratitude journal.  It's so easy to run on empty, be filled with fear, and be immobilized in the midst of life.  As I look back, I see how much I have been blessed over the years.  It's so easy to be a victim and a "poor me" person.  I want people to know me as a winner!

Can I say that I am grateful for abuse?  No, I can't.  I wish that I wouldn't have had so much of my life taken from me.  I'm human and sometimes I get those pangs of anger...at least now, I can focus on what I am angry about and move on.  Life has gotten better.

I have been thinking about my surroundings over the past 63 years...funny how I remember each home I lived in and the homes of my relatives and friends.  Have you ever watched the TV show "If Walls Could Talk"?  When we were remodeling the little casa, I wrote scripture on the walls before they were painted.  When I am there (still no kitchen), there is such peace.  As a child, I was afraid, I don't have to be afraid anymore.  I did a lot of work on Ancestry.com and found that I had a wonderful family tree.  I'll probably never know when something went awry and abuse became a part of that tree.  When I get to heaven, I'll have lots of questions!   Life was not easy for those early settlers...

I truly believe that each one of us was born with a purpose.  There are clones but in the original scheme of things we were uniquely made.  I love that!  God had a plan for me and gave me the tools to survive.  I'm still waiting for that special person to stand up for me when I am hurt but, you know, I think that person is God!  What more could I ask for.

My little grandson was so funny today...we drew pictures of scarecrows, took walks and shared some giggles along the way.  He's a helper and loved folding clothes and being a part of getting the house in order.  I am grateful for this little guy who has my ears and spunk.

It's been an odd sort of day and I am getting set to get some rest.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring.  Something wonderful, I bet.

Goodnight everyone, may your blessings be many and your life filled with a purpose only you can fill!