Gratitude

It’s Thanksgiving Day and a fitting day to revisit my old friend, The Redefining blog. I’ve missed it, yet been preoccupied with other life goals and life in general. It is so nice to be encouraged to write (thank you friends!) so hoping this reacquaintance is not short-lived.

Today is such a brilliant, if not clichéd, day to focus on gratitude. It’s been a bit of mantra for me this year.

I tried to be grateful through months of remodeling and now I am infinitely grateful to be done. We are moved in, settled, and loving our new house. In the last month, I’ve delighted in turning my dream house (which I designed from top to bottom) into a home for our family. We’ve hosted family dinners, happy hours for friends, more friends for dinner, and a relatively epic sweet 16 bash for my daughter. Already piles of kids come through frequently – settling upstairs and downstairs – and devouring mountains of food. I love it. Through-out, I have been so aware and heartbroken, for the thousands of people who lost their homes in the many disastrous fires. All those memories – and sadly – lives, lost. It is such a reminder to be grateful for a home.

And even more so, grateful for the family that lives inside the home. My heart continues to burst with gratitude for my family. It is so true that as each year goes by, you want to hold your kids a little tighter. This year I am grateful for the health and happiness of those I love the most. We had a scare with my youngest child this year that led to a terrible few months of awaiting test results. Nothing makes you more grateful for those you love and life itself than a reminder that each day is precious. I miss my original family today, as I do every year. Growing up, Thanksgiving was a special day for my family. So special, we’d celebrate it twice. Lunch with one set of grandparents, dinner with another set. Lots of Thanksgiving, but always, lots to be thankful for. I’ll get to see my family at Christmas and I cannot wait.

I finally completed my first marathon this year. And sincerely, my mantra was “gratitude”. I started with that mindset, repeated it when things were going great, then when I struggled with dehydration, and those last long miles to the finish line. Gratitude, in this context, is simple. Grateful for health. Grateful for ability. Grateful that at 44, I can push myself to a long-awaited first. Health is a beautiful thing and I don’t take it for granted. Grateful.

Friends are an endless source of gratitude. You know, the people who know you so well. Who are the first to congratulate you. Or give you a hug. Or laugh at the silliness of life. These friends I run with, read with, sit on the sidelines with, have cocktails with, and can enjoy long dinners with. The best friends are always there if you need them. They make you smile and laugh. And they push you to chase your dreams.

I’m grateful for so much more. Grateful for new experiences, learning new things, great books, ridiculous movies, my beloved dog Zoe, singing poorly to great tunes, and inspiration everywhere. I’m excited that I can feel like life is just beginning in many ways.

While some will focus on bigger world issues today, for me today is a day of gratitude. At times over the last months I have been overwhelmed by the sadness in the world – more senseless shootings and violence; increasing racism, anti-Semitism, and sexism; ridiculous world leaders who make me furious in their stupidity; and natural disaster tragedies. It can take your breath away if you let it. But today, I do what I can and then I choose to focus on gratitude.

Thanksgiving day is a day to breathe. We’re at Whidbey Island, as we typically are for Thanksgiving. I love that my kids will have traditions to look back upon. Lots of fun with cousins, card games, watching the Macy’s Day Parade and football in a pile, walks on the beach, baking muffins and pies, a wonderful dinner surrounded by people who love them dearly, capped off with the annual showing of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It will be loud, it will be chaotic, and it will be memorable.

Grateful.

The beautiful thing about gratitude is it isn’t just for Thanksgiving. As Emerson reminds us wisely, it’s a habit that can be cultivated, with gratitude for all things.

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” Ralph Waldo Emerson