Gratitude and Thanksgiving #NaBloPoMo 26

 

It’s said that expressing gratitude changes your life. I tried having a gratitude journal, but it felt false somehow. But in reality, it was probably just my reluctance to give up focusing on nonsense. And now that another Thanksgiving has arrived, I feel compelled to express some gratitude.

• I’m grateful that I’ve learned how it feels to stay in my own focus. I don’t always achieve it, but at least I know when I’m there and when I’m not, so that’s something.
• I’m grateful for Jerry, my husband, who knows how to do everything. Seriously. I think he was born knowing. He grew my cannabis for me in the early years of my recovery, and taught me everything I know about growing. He saved my life. But then he’s like that.
• I’m grateful for my two sons. After being a mom for thirty-five years, I know less than I did when I started and I’m more confused than ever. But believe it or not, their chaos keeps me focused on my own alignment. The alternative to that is tears, endless tears, and I’m not doing that anymore. Adult children have a way of breaking a mother’s heart that feels never-ending. And I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity to look past anyone’s behavior and see him or her as the holy extensions of Source that they each are. It’s a blessing beyond measure. Especially when it’s your children.
• I’m grateful for my home, five acres of lovely diversity. Life abounds here. Even after we put up the eight foot fencing to keep out the deer. They had taken over, you see. And as dear as they are, I wanted flowers without the inevitable carnage that would ensue. Around here, deer-induced carnage is almost a rite of passage for any gardener. You either fence, or you give up. After giving up for years, we chose fencing. And now we have flowers and a beehive, with two more hives going in the apiary next Spring. Which brings me to the next entry.
• I’m grateful for my bees. I know that it’s the other way around. We’re their humans; they’re not our bees. But still, I love them. We began with 10,000 bees. I don’t know how many there are now that the hive is covered in snow, but they were out and active the other day before the snow fell. I stood there, a few feet away from the hive, entranced and enthralled, as always. I needed to hear them, and they were pure magick!
• I’m grateful for my recovery. I never thought I would survive rheumatoid arthritis, but then I gave in to Jerry’s insistance that cannabis could help me. The drugs clearly weren’t moving me out of the severe range and I was only getting worse, so I figured, why not? At least I might be comfortable in my last days of life on this earth. I had no idea that three months later I would be in remission, but that’s what happened. I’m one of those cannabis success stories. And I don’t think I’d be here without it, writing a blog post on Thanksgiving for #NaBloPoMo. So there you go. Plus, I can walk now, which gets its own bullet point.
• I’m grateful I can walk. Anywhere. Quickly. Sprinting, even. I power walk nine miles a day, unless there’s a foot of snow out and I can’t wear my tennis shoes to do it. If my Camry could get down the driveway, I’d drive somewhere to walk, but we’re snowbound at this point. When I was ill, I was lucky to walk from the car to my chair inside our shop. Airports were a nightmare as was a large grocery store. I was a former Kenpo instructor, a Black Belt, who trained daily. When I became ill, that ended. And the damage I have from the RA prevents me from training in the way I’d like now. During the thirteen years the RA was at its most severe, I couldn’t train at all. For a Black Belt, that’s horrific. Injuries are difficult enough, but I’ve had to accept that there are some things I just can’t do anymore because I have too much damage to deal with. But you never know. I’ve been able to come back from a really bad place. So I’m grateful for the progress I’ve made, because anything is better than what I was experiencing.
• Saving the best for last, I’m grateful for this wonderful blogging community I’ve joined. Your writing is thoughtful, funny and informative. There’s always something wonderful to read and I love what you all share. You challenge me to write more and better, all the time. Being in your company has been and will continue to be an honor. Thank you so much!

When you start listing all the things you’re grateful for, it’s hard to stop. Suddenly, your mood changes and you feel like cooking a turkey. Which I’m going to do now in my new convection oven. It’s purple inside, almost like they knew a witch would be using it.

So blessings to all on this snowy Thanksgiving! In spite of distances, real or imagined, we’re all one in love and in Source.