Skip to main content

Thankful

I simply cannot be a "blogger", and not write some form a "thankfulness post". But I fear that this may turn into a novel. Or an Odyssey-like poem. I will try to keep it simple. Bare with me, my friends.

Every single day I am reminded with how blessed and lucky I am. Maybe it's because I work in a career where every day I'm talking to people who are dealing with bad news, and it  gives me an overwhelming sense of grace. But lately I have really honed in on listening to my patients, and trying to be a shoulder to lean on.

Being that shoulder to lean on, and focusing more on really listening instead stressing about all the work that needs to be done has really made me take a step back and count my blessings.

So here are a few of the things in which I am grateful for:

  1. Every single day, I have a home to return to. Let's start with the obvious. It has a roof. During the 100+ dog days of summer, I have the ability to crank that AC to as cold as I want it. When winter comes, I have heat. Our home has unlimited resources. I can shower and wash clothes whenever I please. I can trust the water that comes out of our faucets. These are blessings that are easy to take for granted.
  2. Every single day, I return to a home of peace. My home is a sanctuary for me. I have safety around me. I have a husband who loves and respects me. If I need to vent, he listens. If I need advice, he offers. If I need to cry, he consoles. There is no drama. There is no unrest.
  3. If I ever am in need of a simple hug, I have numerous people that will give that to me. I remember once listening to a priest from the middle-east speak of a mission in India which houses those with AIDS and mental illness. He told me a story about how when you would hug these people, it was hard to get them to let go. For it was probably the 1st human contact they've experienced in years. Can you imagine a world of such loneliness? In my life, I have so many friends and family who are always willing to extend their loving arms out to me. What a luxury.
  4. I have a job that is steady, and that I never have to worry about going away. I have never had to worry about being laid off or losing my job. I work for a company that makes me proud. My colleagues and I support each other. I learn something new every day.
  5. A freedom that I often overlook. I can walk out my door, dress how I please, drive where I want, buy what I choose, and have the freedom to speak my opinion. There are countries in our world, where a lot of those freedoms would never exist. Especially as a women.
  6. No matter where I go, and what happens in life - there is a constant that is always present. And that is my family. My Mom, Dad, husband, and siblings have always been there to love me and support me no matter what phase I went through in life. And also, my nieces and nephews provide me with so much joy.
Sometimes I get a little blue on holidays that aren't spent buttering lefse in my Mom's kitchen or helping her brine the turkey. It is easy to focus on what I'm missing. So over the years, I really try to focus on how truly lucky I am.

What's on your mind this holiday season?

Comments

Lisa's Yarns said…
I love this time of year as it's good to be reminded about all the many blessings in our lives. My list would mirror yours for the most part. I'm thankful that I live in Minneapolis, am financially independent and stable, have a wonderful boyfriend and a stable, healthy relationship, have a great network of friends both near and far, have a supportive family, and so much more!

We'll miss you on Thanksgiving but I am glad you will be home for Christmas as that is not far away!!!!
Sharon Silvas said…
This is wonderful. I love reading about your blessed life and I am grateful and honored to have your your friendship. My favorite part was your hug story because you know I live my life through interaction and hugs. A hug is often all I need. No words necessary. I am so happy to be on a friendship journey with you. Thank you for sharing your life with us through your blog. Hugs!
Marlys said…
Beautiful post, Abby! We do have so much to be thankful for. Near the top of my list is good health in addition to family, friends and the freedom you talk about. We do take so much for granted but don't have to look far to see how others don't have that.
We miss you at the Holidays and always!

Popular posts from this blog

One Confused Lady

Yesterday morning was packed with a session of cross training.....rushed home to shower and get professional-looking....headed across town for an interview.....kicked butt at my interview...."bopped" over to our house to see the progress of the build......headed to the "design center" to sign more paperwork.... (Side note: I cannot get over just how much paperwork is involved in building a house. Holy Hannah. And we haven't even closed !!! Iy-yi-yi....Those lovely people in history who got law-suit-happy.....God bless 'em.) Yesterday was a good day! So here's a little humor for your Thursday. A little thought. A little depth.....( A little cynical rant ) Afterwards, I decided to head to one of my favorite places to peruse.... Target. But my experience at Target was far from fun, relaxing, or pleasant. Just confusing. Loud. Crazy. Despite many screaming children-temper tantrums.... Which is common and un-escapable. Although screaming chi...

A weekend of the great outdoors

As I am preparing for my return to the real world tomorrow, I feel a strong sense of dread. As I won't have a weekend or free week for a long while! Instead of focusing on that.......I'm sharing a few snapshots from our awesome weekend! This weekend we were in Big Lake, AZ -- which is about 20 miles from the New Mexico border (just 5 1/2 hours from our house). (last weekend we were in Parker Canyon...which I will blog about another day) We camped from Friday-Monday, which was the perfect length of time. The temperatures were a great escape from hot Tucson. In fact...it was VERY cold at night. It was in the low 30's at night, 60's during the day. The trout fishing was incredible. Here's a few snapshots: Home Sweet Home for the weekend! Look at the giant tree I cut down!!! Wow!! (Okay, this was posed...) But...Ryan did teach me how to use a wood-saw! There were tons of dead/fallen trees lying around. So we cut all our firewood for the weekend! I felt very ...

Ten on Tuesday!

1. If you could travel back in time, would you? What decade would you visit? I would. I think I'd visit the 50's, just for a week - for it'd probably get really old. Sometimes... I just want to wear cute house dresses and aprons. And the only care in the world would be cooking and cleaning and being an all-star housewife. 2. What was your best Halloween costume? (fun to make? most creative?) Probably the clown costumes my Mom sewed when I was young. They were amazing. Also, an occasion in college when all the girls hit the frats dressed up as sexy nurses, naughty cops, and other profanities....I taped purple balloons all over my body and went as a "Bunch of Grapes". Classy. 3. Do you like your name? If you weren't called by your name, what would you want to be called? I would love my name. But everyone seems to think it's cool to name their dogs Abby these days too. I know so many people who are like "Your name is Abby? Oh cool! That'...