Celebrate your world!
I love Thanksgiving! I love the whole notion. At least the old one before it became a shopping day for Christmas. But I choose to hold to tradition and keep it a day to gather, feast, share stories, and bask in love and community. I have celebrated Thanksgiving in all sorts of places with all sorts of foods and I have found I can be both thankful and have family squabbles anywhere. I can be with a crowd of 40 or a crowd of one or two. Gratitude and warm memories are always with me on this day no matter where I am or who I am with. If you think I am being overly warm and fuzzy you should know that Thanksgiving has also carried with it some of my life’s toughest stuff. To name a couple there was the year my son’s seat was empty because he was at war in Iraq and we didn’t hear from him for weeks at a time. We set him a place anyway. There was the year we gathered at my dad’s house and had a take out holiday dinner from Publix grocery while Dad waited at the funeral home for us to bury him. When you consider the true meaning of Thanksgiving it isn’t such a bad time for a funeral. This year I have much to be thankful for. I have many excuses reasons to raise a glass and much to laugh about. I hope you do too.
10 Things I am thankful for this year:
1. My local Costco in Florida is nowhere near as crowded as my Costco in California. The folks here are rookies.
2. I have not had any weird illnesses, broken bones or new meds prescribed this whole year. Of course I did miss my annual physical so who knows.
3. Mick Jagger is going to be a great-grandfather. This means two things. We WILL forever be young and rock and roll really is here to stay.
4. I resisted the temptation for another year not to get a new dog. My new mantra is “go around the world first”. Then I’ll get a dog and go around the block. I recite this when my dog loving Facebook friends post all those sad pictures from the dog shelters.
5. I am grateful there are no more obits or eulogies that I will be responsible for. That torch has been passed. But I reserve the right to have my funeral and write my own BEFORE I die. Why should I miss the one thing that’s all about me?
6. Since I finally got my husband out of the office and working from home I can eat dinner as early as I want. Now I know why old people eat so early. (Not that I’m old mind you .) It’s just because they CAN. And the earlier you eat the earlier you can have cocktails.
7. I have people who actually read my blog . And some great friends who keep me encouraged and motivated to write more when I find myself writing less.
8. I am apparently so well connected that people I have never heard of send me “friend” requests on Facebook. OK, so we all get these but I’m going to allow myself a couple of days to think I’m special.
9. None of my children will be here for Thanksgiving. I love and miss them but it is an opportunity to value my life without them. I will be cooking with friends this year. Hmmm….a table of friends or a table of siblings?
10. And the number one reason I am thankful this year is that after surviving a heart attack and prostate cancer this past year my husband is still here by my side. After enduring multiple appointments, procedures and surgery at the Mayo clinic, he is once again healthy. He can also now get out of the house by himself and leave me the f*** alone enjoy himself. Love you honey! Take your time.
For all of this and more I say “Thanks be to God.”
Happy Thanksgiving!
sixtiestosixties 
A second Thanksgiving here in SC, this one with neighbors in their new home a few doors down. My Dad moved to Hilton Head a few months ago so he will join us. I’m excited to have him meet another of our neighbors who will join us at the table who was also in the business of nuclear reactors for the Navy like my Dad did at KAPL. Like most, our neighbor passed thru the little town of West Milton, NY learning how to power a submarine with the atom. No siblings for us either; friends are good! We await news of a Costco here in Bluffton!
I’m thankful that I have you and John among many wonderful friends and that you write such a smile inducing blog. Happy Thanksgiving!