Riding the Wave, 13. Giving Thanks.

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. If I had still been living there, I would have had a turkey on the table, most likely. As it is, today I'm making a stew for lunch because it's a cool, grey day, and it's a work day.

The meaning of the day has held up pretty much in a world where the meaning of Christmas is lost to most. In fact, in the U.S., its meaning has been moved to Thanksgiving. This holiday has become one of family reunions, get-togethers, and appreciating the good things we have and share. Today, Americans give thanks for the love in their lives.

I give thanks for many things. For my husband, for my daughter. For family, near and far that share my genes and family quirks, and that are simply there. For love that folds over me like a warm blanket. For friends and acquaintances, old and new. For my house, however decrepit it may be, and for the car that takes me places. For the food that gives me strength. For a regular income, however small and insufficient it seems some months. For health care that makes sure I stay healthy.

I give thanks for my health, even with my chronic illnesses. For not being sick at the moment, and that I am healthy thanks to medication that is easily affordable. I give thanks for books and the internet, where I can find all the information that my brain seeks out. For the education that enabled me to ask questions, and to know that all of life is a long period of learning. 

I give thanks for the woods and the fields, and the sky that surround me. For beautiful sunsets and sunrises. For the wind in the trees, and the rays of warm sun. For the green around me, and the colors of summer and fall. For the glimpse of a fox or a boar, at a safe distance. For my cats that play and teach me not to take life seriously. For the rain that sometimes dismays me, and the cold that nips at me at night and in the early mornings. For the heat that sends me indoors. I give thanks for those deliciously warm days that make life beautiful.

I give thanks that I have reached this age, and for all the years remaining to me. And to know that the most important things in life are not the most material. Having the basics is practically all we need, and that which fills our lives the most. Happy Thanksgiving.

Life continues.