Tonight, on Thanksgiving I am grateful for many things yet as usual, during this time of convalescence, they are things like a warm blanket, cozy jammies and my son's snuggles. 

I am most grateful tonight for my husband.  He's a good good man, a great father, a hard worker and a wonderful life's companion. 

Pneumonia

It is not hard to find things to be grateful for when you have pneumonia.  (For the second time in 6 months)

1. For my warm soft bed that adjusts up and down. What a lifesaver. I think of all the sick who are also homeless and I gaze at my bed with such love. 

2. Modern medicine. Whoever invented antibiotics is my friend. 

3. The messages the body gives with such an illness. Slow down.   Louise Hay says pneumonia means Desperate. Tired of Life. Emotional wounds that are not allowed to heal.

4. The urgent care facility near here that took me in five minutes before they were going to close on a cold Satirday night, got me a chest xray and started me on antibiotics - all in 40 minutes!

1. For the knowledge that holding on to resentments is only hurting me.
2. For the knowledge that suffering and pain isn't the problem  - the only problem is my attitude towards these things.
3. For the healing power of forgiveness.
4. For the awareness that I am cradled in love and support, even when I perceive that I am suffering.
5. That letting go of resentment and fear is only a breath away.
6. For this:

"You might think that forgiveness is about the following:

• Condoning what the other person did.
• Giving in.
• Turning the other cheek.
• Pretending that nothing happened or that it really wasn’t such a big deal.
• Admitting that your anger isn’t justified or that you’re not entitled to it.
• Forcing yourself to get along with someone who you feel may hurt you again.

If so, then you’re probably going to be very reluctant to forgive. And with good reason. Instead, try changing your definition of forgiveness to the following:

• Forgiveness is about freeing up and putting to better use the energy that is being consumed by holding on to grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing old wounds.
• Forgiveness is about moving on.
• Forgiveness is about choosing serenity and happiness over righteous anger.
• Forgiveness is about refusing to replay past hurts in your mind over and over again, like a broken record.
• Forgiveness is about realizing that anger and resentment don’t serve you well.
• Forgiveness is about giving yourself a clean slate."

1.  Deep rest in a warm bed.
2.  The ease and carefreeness that comes from having health insurance when I am sick.
3.  The return of the birds to their winter feeder - en mass!

1. My son's sweet face. 

2. A fever that lets me get needed rest. 

1. Working on penmanship with my son.  Today I checked his homework after he had completed it with his dad.  It was sloppy and all the nice work we had done together, all the great e and c efforts were not being implemented.  I got very strict with him and made him do his entire homework assignment over.  As he did the letters incorrectly I erased them.  For a moment I thought "I'm traumatizing this child."  But little praises helped and with each letter success he got happier and my praises got bigger.  But the end he had an acceptably neat home work sheet and he was immensely proud of himself.  He then went off by himself to write.  Soon he presented me with a note.  It said "Mom, I love you."  He said to me - "Mom - I wrote it big because I love you so much. "  There is no greater feeling then succeeding after you work at something that is really hard. This feeling will stay with him and I hope I can build on it as we go forward on this penmanship journey.  For this, today, I am grateful.

1. A well made Manhattan
2. My handy husband who can do ANYTHING!
3. Laughter with friends
4. Wonderful stories about rescued animals reunited with family 
5. To come home after late meetings to cooked chicken and family fed
6. MANTRA - Om Namah Shivaya
7. Shreya Marks

1. Getting to teach my son penmanship, just in the nick of time.  
2. Taking down old buildings to make room for new.
3. A light dusting of November snow.
4. Warm fuzzy caramel kitty.
5. The pleasure of feeding my family. Cauliflower Au Gratin with a sweet white wine. 

1. The smell of wet red leaves on the walkway
2. Friends you can bitch to without judgement
3. The pleasure of seeing the 4 year old you once knew in her 20 year old face
4. Fixing the steps on a friends rental apartment with other friends, in the dark, in the cold, and laughing.
5. A kiss from a small dachshund in a leather biker jacket
6. New black ankle boots arriving in the mail

1. Homemade apple crisp made with Ashram apples with Ben and Jerry's Caramel Core Ice Cream AND a glass of white wine
2. Feeding my family with nutritious home-cooked food  (made quickly!)
3. Seeing Purple Rain in 1984 in London and telling a 24 year cool kid old about it
4. My singing voice (sang him a clip of Nikki)  He blushed.
5. Laughing about my new imaginary clothing line "Monk Wear" and the fellow who came up with the perfect fragrance and it's tag line "Renunciation - Just give it up!"
6. My family- always my family

Remember Gratitude - Post One

1. The little lights that flicker between the big stars
2. My crazy wild cat that goes on walks with the dog and jumps on her back
3. My wonderful calm dog that doesn't mind
4. The crisp air on my warm face
5. A friendly "hello!" shared in the dark