Thanksgiving

So here I am again. Quite a bit has been going on here lately, quite a bit of which annoys the living crap out of me, but I choose not to vent about that today. (Maybe tomorrow, I won't be in the same frame of mind then, and it might irritate me again).

But it is Thanksgiving day. I Just took a look at my Facebook page, and realized that more people posted "Happy Turkey Day" than "Happy Thanksgiving." This reminded me that too much of the world has lost track of what these things are supposed to mean, and I felt like I should remind people.

Today is not about eating a bunch of turkey, passing out, and then waking up in time to watch the football game. It is not about getting in as much sleep as possible so you can hit the sales at the crack of dawn. And it is not about whining and complaining about how miserable your life is, either.

Today is about being grateful for what you have. It is about spending time with family and friends and realizing that life could be a whole hell of a lot worse.

Everything in life is about choices, and the biggest one of all is how you react to what is in your life. You can choose to be completely miserable, or you can choose to be grateful for what life has given you to make you smile.

So here goes mine:
1. I am grateful for the friends I have in my life who love me for who I am and don't want to change me into something else to suit their needs.
2. I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had, and the fact that I have a chance to make the future even better.
3. I am grateful that I am still alive and sucking air, because the alternative would seriously suck.
4. I am grateful that I get to spend this day with ALL of my wonderful children all in the same place at the same time.
5. I am grateful for the chance to experience new things and actually LIVE my life.


Most of all, I am grateful for the wonderful man I have in my life who is truly my best friend and will walk with me through anything life throws at us. We are stubborn and don't give up easily. Also, I have three beautiful children who are my entire world and will always be my reason for trudging through the rough patches, just to get to the other side and spend it with them.

There may have been some crappy stuff that has come down the pike this week, but I choose to not dwell on that and enjoy what I have and accept that things just are the way they are.

Well there you go folks, a fresh dose of perspective from the perpetually gloomy and pessimistic fool you used to know.

Inspiration in the strangest of places.

So, very rarely to I find myself stunned and inspired by the words of songs, but while driving this morning, I heard the words to "The River" by Garth Brooks, and finally realized what the song meant.

It is about not giving up, and persevering in spite of the challenges that may appear before you. Never before now have these words held so much meaning to me and my life, and the life of those I see around me.

I have found myself lately thinking about a lot of the trials and challenges that I have had to face, and often wondering what it is all supposed to mean and why it seems that so many things are coming at me all at once, with so many obstacles to overcome. I have a different outlook today.

Everyone will struggle at some point in their life, and if they do not, then they are not really living at all. I see so many people facing hard times right now, and find myself grateful for the challenges I have. My problems are relatively minor, in the grand scheme of things, and life really just is not that bad right now.

Yes, we are in a bit of a rough patch, but it could be a lot worse, and it is slowly working itself out. I cannot depend on anyone else to "fix" my life. I must be independent and face my own demons, of sorts, and find a way through. I am responsible for my own life. It is my life and I am the only one who can live it.

I find that when I feel like my life cannot get any worse, I reach out my hand to others and find myself realizing that it really is not that bad. It is so much more about the outlook and the way I face the challenges I have than it is about the challenges and getting through them. I am the captain of my own destiny today, and I choose to live. I cannot hide my head in the sand and hope that things will just work themselves out, because it does not work that way at all.

So, in short, be grateful for the challenges in your life. Remember that everything happens for a reason, and you can get through whatever life throws at you with the right attitude. It may not be easy, but you can get there if you just persevere. Below, find the lyrics to Garth Brooks' The River, and I hope they can inspire someone else today, as they have me.

The River
By Garth Brooks


You know a dream is like a river
Ever changin' as it flows
And a dreamer's just a vessel
That must follow where it goes
Trying to learn from what's behind you
And never knowing what's in store
Makes each day a constant battle
Just to stay between the shores...and

I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry

Too many times we stand aside
And let the waters slip away
'Til what we put off 'til tomorrow
Has now become today
So don't you sit upon the shoreline
And say you're satisfied
Choose to chance the rapids
And dare to dance the tide...yes

I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry

There's bound to be rough waters
And I know I'll take some falls
But with the good Lord as my captain
I can make it through them all...yes

I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry

Yes, I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
'Til the river runs dry


Until another day, my faithful friends, I bid you and yours a safe and pleasant journey, and may we meet many times along the road that it leads you on.


--------------L