Giving Thanks For My Blessings

Life is lived in the actions of the moments
Life is appreciated in the moments of reflection.

So on this day which has been set aside for giving thanks
Here are my reflections on so much for which I am thankful.

My family -
My wife of 28 years and my best friend for longer with whom I walk the path of life,
My children who have been the best gifts of my life, and give me the greatest joy and satisfaction,
My extended family of siblings and siblings-in-law, niece and nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins galore and, of course, my esteemed father-in-law with whom I am pleased to share my home,
My friends who add a further dimension and texture to my life
My fortune to have, as I have said on so many occasions, so many of my family who are friends and so many of my friends who are like family
These are the people who bless my life with the richness of relationships
and the love and challenges that are part of those relationships.

My balancing components and fibers of my life -

My work that provides for my family and challenges me on many levels allowing me to think, interact, grow, provide, contribute and be conflicted,
My creative endeavors, currently writing, videography and photography, that give me such personal joy and a sense of satisfaction, and, on occasion as a side benefit, are appreciated by others, and that, perhaps, will leave at least temporary evidence (in addition to my beautiful children), that I lived,
My mind, neither the best nor the worst, which allows me to love and to learn,
My sense that allow be to know the world through the wonders of the five sense, to speak and to read, all of which I appreciate so dearly,
My sense of humor which, like my creative forays, first gives me great pleasure and sometimes elicits from others a smile, a chuckle or a loving moan and raised eyebrows,
My body that, although it creeks and aches more now that it used to, allows me to enjoy so many aspects of life.

My memories of my parents
on whose proverbial shoulders I stand as I walk my life path that is a contiuation of a path that was blazed in part by them and theirs -
My father who has been physically gone for more than 25 years, but who I carry with me not with a daily remembrance, but with a deep seeded love and appreciation, and a sadness that he did not get to see enough of my life (let alone enough of his life) for I wish he could have known my children and seen the blessings of my life, and
My mother who has been physically gone for less than 5 months, but whose mind began to run away much earlier so that the person who was my mother was lost long ago and surfaced only occasionally, but that does not dampen my memories of the strong and vibrant woman she was,
The blessings of the examples that each provided to me of giving, caring and doing, of words and actions, of loving and being loved.

I am thankful for -

The beauty of our world
With its sunrises and sunsets
Its valleys, plains and mountains
Its forests, grasslands and deserts
Its waters and its sky.

I am thankful for -

The wonder of touch
The connection from an intertwined hand
The warmth of a hug and cuddle
The sweetness of a kiss

I am thankful for life.
I am thankful for my life.