Being Thankful ...

(I JUST love this picture!!)

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This weekend across Canada, families will gather around the table, friends will be welcomed in and Thanksgiving will be celebrated with TOO much food, and this cat and its "owner" will be typical of the pose held by many by Monday evening ...

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Living in a time of uncertainty and transition where the future is very much unknown, it can be tough to find things to be thankful for ... But today, and in the coming days of this Thanksgiving weekend, I WILL continue to be thankful for the blessing of three beautiful children who have enriched my life with humour, frustration, aggravation and a boundless love ... I'm not sure where the future lies for our family, but I am certain that we are bound together by a iridescent ribbon of love A ribbon that may at times be strained to the breaking point, but it is a ribbon that will never break, nor never be lost ... and for that I am thankful.

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Today and in the coming days, I will be very thankful for the abundance of food that we simply take for granted ... our store shelves are NEVER bar, and even though the phrase - "There's NOTHING to eat ..." has escaped my lips and the lips of my children from time to time, an examination of our fridge and cupboard will utterly contradict that sentiment ... our cupboard have never been bare ... there is always more than enough ... and in that we are blessed.

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Today and in the coming days, I will be very thankful for the wondrous and wonderful circle of friends that I have found my self encircled by ... for too long I have believed I had few good friends, but the crises of the last few months (the breakdown of our marriage, the 363 review and subsequent suspension, the lies and untruths continually being told about me, and the diagnosis of ADD to name just a few) has shown me over and over that I DO have many friends to rely upon and who have been there for me. I've lost some friendships over the last few months because of people believing what they chose to believe, but as the dust settles, I have a wonderful circle of friends, both near and far who have NEVER abandoned me.

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Today and in the coming days, I will simply be thankful for the gift of life, and within it, for the gift of faith ... I may not be sitting down at a table this weekend encircled by family or friends, but I will still find much to be thankful for ... if nothing else, the last 27 months have taught me that through it all ... life is an amazing and astounding gift, and God (or whatever term one chooses to use) will never abandon nor fail us ... and that is what I am MOST thankful for !!