giving thanks

here at the beach it is more like vacation than thanksgiving.  in a little while i'll go for a run wearing shorts and a tank top.  i'll sit in the sun and stretch, looking out at the little island in the intercoastal where the pelicans and herons call home.  there are flowers blooming in all sorts of colors; pinks, purples, oranges, yellows.  we'll walk over to the beach and feel the cool white sand under our feet.  maybe a swim will be in order, but it isn't quite as warm as it is over memorial day - the water is more brisk than refreshing.  but after that and maybe a dip in the pool we'll come home and make a turkey with all the fixings we enjoy.  it is nice being here, where grandmother and grandfather cooked dinners and had drinks with their friends.  after working so hard for so long, this is a beautiful place to call home, one where snow won't fall during the winter, one that makes it easy to visit family up north during the summer.  they were fortunate to have the life they lived - and we are fortunate now to have it in our lives.

this was a tougher year than most.  the thing about the tough times, they tend to make me even more thankful than usual.  i feel a deeper gratitude for just waking up each day and feeling something like normal.  and i feel that sense each and every day, not just today.  but today is for thanking and being thankful, with those and for those around us.  so, in what's become a bit of a tradition around here, these are a few of the things i'm thanking my lucky stars for today:

my family - through thick and thin we have managed to always get through it

my friends - near and far, i've gotten to spend some valuable time with some this year making memories to last a long time

my doctors and nurses - this one should probably be at the top of the list, because without them i'd probably not be here typing this.  i put them to the test this year and they've stuck with me and encouraged me and kept me moving.  and to whomever got me that single room on 12 founders, i owe you the world.

the dog, and the dogs - no animal will ever take the place in my heart that gorilla dog has carved out.  that vicious beast has gotten me through so much so many times.  i was looking forward to seeing her when i got home from the hospital.  and she did a great job protecting me from the home nurses.  i've also been walking dogs once a week out at la mancha animal rescue, and these dogs have taught me about hope and joy in ways many humans fail to do so.  seeing their tails wag at the thought of a mere fifteen minutes outside the kennel makes me wish i could take them all home.

crossfit - well, i owe it to my boss for getting me there in the first place, but now i've been doing it every week for nearly three months, i'm so thankful to have it in my life.  i haven't been so proud of myself in a long time.

and there are others:

my bike
lazy sunday mornings with a cup of tea and a book
the library
airplanes
three little pigs sandwiches and chocolate cake
yoga
snow days at snowbird
intermediate spanish podcasts
penn state football
fall colors on the trees
24 hour christmas music stations
fresh cut flowers
cold coke in a mini can
antibiotics
hand stand push ups
empanadas - baked, not fried
framed prints of photographs
warm summer mornings

 i hope you and yours have a happy thanksgiving.  stop and be thankful.  we are lucky.