Thankful

I missed American Thanksgiving this year. Not only did I miss Thanksgiving (living in Canada there were no reminders of the sacred event) but I missed the point of Thanksgiving this year.  For various reasons (many self created) I have been distracted of late from the foundation of what I am truly grateful for.  Thanksgiving, in America, at least for my family and friends, is about reflection, being thankful for the blessing in your life as well as food (and for many), football (not me!)

I have so much to be thankful for and I thought I would share a small list:

I am incredibly thankful for my immediate family.  Ron is my evil twin, the mastermind of my controlled chaos as well as my flexible mooring.  He is, in turns, my mentor, my opposition, my father, my child, and my complex,  but eager lover.  Robbie, my enigma.  He is brilliant, creative, self contained and wildly talented.  I burst with pride over his accomplishments and I am crushed when he is crushed.  Hannah is the electric combination of mine and Ron's best (and most challenging) attributes.  Her outward beauty, sharp intelligence and charm are a deadly combination that sucks not only us, but the world into her vortex.  They are my raison d'etre. My reason for being.

I am thankful for my parents.  The two people who have never let me down, who are always there and are surprisingly 'cool' for their age and era.  They are here with me on this planet (and were here in Canada for this week!) and they are sailing serenely into their 51st year of marriage.  A testament to longevity of life as well as love.

I am thankful for my friends.  The small, but important number of people who love me unconditionally, judge me not at all and share with me their triumphs and failures.  We are sounding boards for each other as well as partners in crime, and for them, I am grateful for the facets of understanding that go beyond my immediate world.

I am thankful for my job.  I truly am.  With so many people struggling professionally, I have found a 'home' at a company that challenges me but gives me a sense of place in the professional world.  I am not yet bored there and have not mastered the role and for those who know me well, that is an important distinction.

I am thankful for my extended family.  Both on my side, as well as Ron's.  We rally around each other in good times and in bad and to share events with those who have known you 'forever' gives me a broader sense of time and place.  The next generation gives us the opportunity to lavish our wisdom and love on those who will be in our position in the not to distant future.

Lastly, I am thankful to be me.  To have been endowed with good health and good genetics, above average intelligence, good teeth, good height, good weight and a innate sense of fun and good cheer (if not enough common sense).  These gifts (because they are that) should be embraced and well received and not taken for granted.  So much of our lives can be predetermined by who and where we come from and I am thankful for that foundation.

On this day, I am giving thanks.