Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thanksgiving Morning Musings

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! This holiday is kind of bittersweet for me - when my parents were alive, my mom had the family (aunts and uncles) over and cooked dinner here. My father died in January 2000 but we kept having the dinner...I think that 2003 was the last one. My mother was diagnosed with lung cancer in April of 2004, and that year she cooked a small dinner for just the 2 of us. She died in March 2005. One of my fears about losing my parents was the holidays. I have a wonderful friend named Chanin who, in mid-July, announced that I was coming to Thanksgiving and Christmas at her house that year. She will probably never know how much that meant to me. The next year, I was dating Bosco's former human, and he and I spent the holidays together. Last year, my friend David (the Bosco wrangler of the Santa picture experience) invited me to have the holidays with his mother and their family. I have known him since we worked together at the first job I had out of college (has it really been 23 years?!) and know his family as well, so I ate Thanksgiving dinner with them. Part of my family's Thanksgiving dinner was mashed potatoes and green peas, and his mom fixed those for me at her house too. One of my other friends invited me to come hang out at her house and watch movine and stitch, but I couldn't do both, and dinner won out! LOL Last Christmas, I was really sick, and slept through Christmas. I am going to dinner at David's again today, and possibly Christmas as well.

What I'm thankful for today is the wonderful friends I have who understand what it is to be alone in the world and invite me to be a part of their families. It is an indescribable comfort to know that there are people in my life who love me like family and are there for me. I am also thankful to be able to love and be there for them.

I'm thankful that I had the great parents that I did and that I got to have them as long as I did.

I'm thankful for my dogs, who are the love of my life, even though they are sometimes the bane of my existence.

I'm thankful for a secure and safe home, and a car to take me where I need to go.

I'm thankful for the fact that I had enough money in savings to help me get through this year of being unemployed.

I'm thankful for my health, especially for my vision that allows me to stitch and read, and for my hearing that allows me to hear music.

There are so many other things in my life to be thankful for as well...I am truly blessed.

3 comments:

Daffycat said...

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

That post was beautiful.

Pumpkin said...

What a wonderful post Suz. It's nice to know that you have so many wonderful people around you that care so much for you :o)

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Pam said...

I know exactly how you feel. After my parents passed away and I was having trouble with my sisters I had a friends who always invited us to spend time with her over the holidays so tat my family and I would not feel along and left out. I, too, and most grateful to have people in my life who understand.