Being thankful

It’s the time of year when we give a lot of thought to what we have and what makes us lucky and happy. Basically, it is the time of the year to stop bitching and complaining about what we don’t have enough of – be it time, money, friends, work and to start recognizing what we do have. It is simply a time of the year to take stock of our lives and to enjoy the moment. All too often, especially in this country, we are bombarded with wanting more, needing more, demanding more and we rarely take the time to examine what we have, and how lucky we are for what we have in our lives at this moment in time.

For many, the next week starts a spiral of stress. The beginning of the holiday season all too often brings with it stress, social pressure to attend this event and that party, time management issues how to work and shop and do all those wonderful Martha Stewart-like things that we feel guilty that we don’t have the time or the money or the patience to deal with but we think that we should. Newspaper and magazine articles and blog postings are replete with tips for the “perfect” Thanksgiving dinner, turkey, pie, side dish, appetizer, table setting, house decorations – you name it, and someone, somewhere has the “perfect” tip to make you feel miserable, incompetent and less than perfect.

To quell your anxiety and mine and put life back into perspective, both for this Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays, take a breath and read this post. Realize that the background of this family is that one of their children has leukemia. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers as I am certain they would appreciate all that they can get. Realize that your life, however miserable you think it is, or how sorry you might feel for yourself with all you have to do in the upcoming weeks, really isn’t all that bad and you really have a lot to be thankful for. I know that I am thinking exactly that this holiday and realizing just how fortunate we are as a family and how lucky I am as wife.