...and so it begins...

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It's a time when we are supposed to sit back, enjoy a feast with our loved ones, and reflect on the past year, giving thanks for how good we have it. Just like the Pilgrims did all those years ago in Plymouth colony. They were grateful for living thru the harsh winter, and for the friendship of the Indians, who helped them survive.

Except that, we don't exactly DO that anymore, do we?

Instead, we obsess over where we are going. Who is going to be there? Who's coming to our house? Who's bringing what? Is the turkey big enough? What kind of potatoes is she making? Who's doing the dishes? What time does the WalMart open for those Black Friday sales?

Where is the thanks?

Where is the gratefulness?

Where is the reflection?

Everything is rushrushrushrush.

Everyone's worried about getting past Thanksgiving and on to Christmas.


No one stops to smell the turkey anymore.

Thanksgiving has stopped being about giving thanks and has become the Official Kick~off of Christmas.

So, on this Thanksgiving eve, I've decided to sit down and reflect on what I am truly thankful for, instead of dwelling on what is lacking in my life. Oh, there is plenty that is lacking~job satisfaction, someone to love and share my life with, a home of my own...the list is long and makes me feel sad.

But what do I have? What have I been blessed with? What should I be joyful that I have and give thanks for?

I've been blessed with parents who care a great deal about me, maybe too much. But they are always there, a safety net so that when I fall, at least someone is there to help me up.

I'm grateful that I have a job. Inasmuch as I despise what I do these days, and like where I work even less, at the very least, I make a little bit of money and can splurge at Bloomies once in a while when they have a sale. The Michael Kors pumps on my feet are proof of that. I am thankful for them, and the sale that put them there.

I'm thankful that FoxNews resigned Shepard Smith to a multi~year deal at a high salary. I like Shepard and I'm glad he's being treated right by his employer. Actually, I'm glad that I see someone who is good at what they do being treated well at their job. I may not be treated or paid very well for breaking my back at my job, but at least I know there is hope because I can see that there are indeed employers who reward good employees. Maybe someday I will have one of those jobs.

I'm thankful that I found Dirty Jobs on Discovery channel. It makes me realize that there are people out there who do what some of us would consider beneath us so that we can live in a civilized world. I am grateful that I found Mike Rowe. He and his beautiful chest are easy on the eyes and he makes me smile. He gives me hope that there are indeed men out there who can make me laugh without having to drop their pants.

I give thanks for the good friends that I have. For Sherri Ann, who, while we don't speak often, has been a steady beam of light for me for some 30 years. For Katy, who's helped me get thru more than she knows. For Ruby Anne who is like the southern version of me. I don't have a lot of friends, but the ones I have are good and strong and true.

I'm grateful for my mind. Because, while I sometimes fear I am losing it, it is what keeps me going, what helps me get thru. It is what helped me to write the book I hope to one day publish. Hopefully, one day soon.

And, I'm thankful for my sense of humor and the ability to laugh at myself~before others can, I hope.

There may be a lot of things that I want in my life that I don't have, and maybe some things that I have that I don't want, but there are always things to give thanks for. Remember, no matter how bad you think it is, there is always someone who has it worse. Tomorrow, I will have a good dinner with my family in a warm, dry place. Not everyone can say that.

So, please, on this Thanksgiving, on the eve of the blessed holiday season, take a moment or two to sit and think...and thank.