I wrote this last weekend but I am posting it now because tomorrw is Thanksgiving…Have a wonderful holiday everyone and remember to be thankful for life!

This year Thanksgiving is more than a day of the year to me.  It has become more than that…like a way of life.  Sitting here at mom’s house among family, (We celebrate the weekend before Thanksgiving.) I am more grateful for the little things.  I know that trauma causes us to look at things more seriously and this year is no exception.  Today has been about more than a meal for me.  The food is great…even on a chemo stomach…that tells you how good it is.  In addition, family time is definitely something I appreciate more since my illness.  But there are other things smaller things, like football games, checker games, mountain walks, washing dishes as a group, roasting marshmallows and playing games that make life full.  Living fully is something I have determined to do. 

Giving thanks has become a lifestyle lately.  Not only am I grateful to be alive and heading toward good health, I thank God for each day I am given.  I praise him for the miracle of early detection that will allow me to be here next Thanksgiving. I am grateful for dear friends who pray.  I thank God my family is near and supportive, I know so many that are not.  I worship him for my job, my car, my home…my husband and kids, and my intimate relationship with Him.  I love my kids and who they are becoming…and being able to watch that occur in front of my eyes. I am grateful to him for a husband that has cared for me for better and for worse.  It is the result of cancer to look at life differently and to live life differently…to see with more eternal eyes, to live with purpose…and to be thankful for the little things everyday.