A Day to be Grateful

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.-- Albert Schweitzer

What a different sort of Thanksgiving day we are having! For all the years that we've been together, this has been a day when both T and I worked in tandem (in our two kitchens) to turn out a traditional and bountiful feast for the various parts and pieces of our family. There was, of course, a plan to do that again this year -- the turkey and all the trimmings are waiting for us to make it happen.

Instead, we are tucked into His hospital room, watching the parades and, soon, the football games, and just feeling enormously grateful for the gift of His life. Sunday night and Monday morning were pretty seriously scary. So, today, as He sips at plain chicken broth, and eats a little bit of sugar free Jell-o, our plans for the feast have been de-railed AND we are entirely full of gratitude.

We are so thankful to have Master with us and healing. We are thankful for His doctors and nurses who have given of their gifts and talents to help in bringing Him back to wellness. We are grateful for the good health insurance that allowed us to simply pile Him in the car and come looking for help without ever once wondering how we would ever pay for it.

We are thankful for our lives with one another, and we are thankful for each other. We sometimes get so wrapped up in the busyness of our days that we forget how truly lucky we are to have the loving family life that we share. Just being "us" is very, very good.

We are grateful for the recovering health of T's mom. We are grateful for the continued strength and resilience of Master's dad. All our various young (and not so young) adult children are well, making their way in their lives, well launched on their individual and collective lives. We are delighted and grateful to have welcomed the first official Heron Clan grandchild this year as well.

We have each got good work that we do. In these complicated and challenging economic times, we have had no layoffs, no salary cuts, no serious scares about the security of our livelihoods. Surely that is cause for gratitude.

And, as we hold each other close this day, we are glad and grateful for so many of you who have drawn close and taken us in and become good friends and cyber neighbors. Ours could be a very lonely sort of life, but for all of you. You are in our thoughts this day, and as we think of you, we can't help but smile and give thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving. May your blesings be many, and may you find ways to be with those you love today and everyday all year.

swan