I am thankful.....

It's always around Thanksgiving, where I take the time to actually write down what I am thankful for.  It's so easy throughout the year to complain about everything around us...and why me...and feeling a little sorry for yourself now and then....we get jealous of others (yes, we do)...and sometimes I think it's just human nature to go through these ugly cycles...you know, life has its ebbs and flows, and there isn't a person in world who is constantly up.  So, with that being said, I thought I'd focus on the positive today.....what am I thankful for?

I am thankful for:

• a healthy family
• a husband who is home for Thanksgiving and not deployed
• even though we don't have a day off here for Thanksgiving, I am looking forward to sharing Thanksgiving at work with our NATO allies (they look forward to that too); I am thankful for our international friends here, and how they have enriched our lives in just five short months
• Skype and the internet in general; it makes me feel connected to family back in the US...and keeps me on top of world events and happenings
• my husband having a job; I have friends in the US who have lost their jobs; I talked to someone getting out of the military last week with no clear plan...who would be crazy enough to get out now?  In this economy?
• being so close to so many new travel destinations....shopping in London or Paris for a day is easy....going to the Christmas Market in Cologne...even easier...or just going down to the local friterie stand and eating the best french fries on the planet
• my faith...and never wavering in what I believe in; also knowing that my mother is watching over me and my family
• being a very patient person, or maybe I just let things roll off me....I hear this all the time from my friends, so there must be an inkling of truth in there somewhere
• my friends who I'm able to stay in touch with through Facebook; it's a great tool for military families who move all over but want to try to stay connected to all those friends they made (and family too)....all in one place
• whoever invented Thanksgiving, as it is my favorite holiday of the year....yes, even before Christmas
• our stuff....BUT, I do remind myself it is just stuff, especially in light of friends who lost stuff in their basement from the last Belgian flood and many former neighbors in Stuttgart who lost EVERYTHING in a major household goods warehouse fire....be thankful for whatever you have, no matter how little or much

Take this weekend to reflect on how blessed you really are.  You are important.  You are destined for something great, just possibly not right at the momeny.  Regardless of what you have, be thankful for it, and take the time to pray for those who do not....those who may have hit a lowpoint in their lives.

See you next week, and what are you thankful for?