January Challenge -- Gratitude

A while back, my friends Helen and Shelley and I posted weekly as a part of Thankful Thursday. It was an opportunity to stop each week and say thank you. Sometimes they were big reasons -- "my child is healthy" and sometimes smaller -- "gosh, coffee is wonderful". Whatever the reason, we took the time to say thanks.I don't think I can ever say thanks enough for what I have. As much as I can kvetch with the best of them, I have life pretty darn good. So today I will say thank you but it is only a drop in a very large bucket.I am immensely thankful that I am the wife of a retired Airman and Veteran. Many spouses did not get their loved one back. My man came home. I say thank you. My man was retired rather than discharged which is allowing us our great adventure. I am thankful for that.I am thankful that my children are healthy, funny, wise, distinct individuals. Sometimes that individuality makes me crazy but I wouldn't have it any other way. They are destined to make their mark on the world and I can't imagine a better reason to be grateful.I am thankful that I have wonderful friends in many areas of my life. I have Mommy friends that encircled me in our school life and have celebrated our new travels. I have artistic friends that I have accumulated over many years and many cities. They remain in my heart and continue inspire me. I ahem a tribe of women in Austin that I met online but became "my girls". They are packed in my trailer and going on the road with me (even if they don't know it). I have a community of friends all around the world via this blog. I am filled with gratitude for all of these friends. They have buoyed me over rough seas.I am thankful that while I have struggled financially, my struggles are distinctly first world. I have never slept on the streets I have never known hunger and more importantly, my children have never known hunger. When I have worried that there might not be enough, someone in my life carried me so that my car never ran out of gas and my cupboard never truly became bare. That is a blessing beyond measure.I am thankful that I have this blog and can express my feelings. The events in Paris yesterday reminded me that not everyone respects the right to share my point of view. I pray for the victims and their families and say thank you for "freedom of speech". Je sues Charlie.I am thankful for more things than I can list here -- coffee, good sheets, thrift stores with good designer finds, great pizza, film noir, 80s music, red wine, for a start.What are you thankful for?