Thanksgiving and Thankfulness

This weekend is the Thanksgiving weekend in Canada.  I am heading out for the weekend to visit my mother and sisters and the gang.  We will be back for the Statutory holiday on Monday to have a turkey feast with my own children.  Given the time of year I thought it was only appropriate to write about gratitude, thanksgiving and thankfulness in general.

Today I feel incredibly blessed to have everyone and everything that I have in my life.  I have an amazing husband who continues to surprise me in little ways even after being together over 25 years.  We continue to learn and grow together which is really quite fun and gives life an extra thrill.  I have three outstanding children who are now young adults and making their own marks on the world.  Each one of them are unique and incredible in their own ways and I am so blessed to have them in my life.

I am blessed with having grown up in amazing family with a father and mother who made sure that we knew we were loved every day.  My father died in 2001 but his legacy continues in my heart and in the choices that I make on a day to day basis.  My parents taught me to be strong and independent but to always think of others and act with kindness.  My mother would still give her shirt off of her back to anyone if she knew that they needed it.  This kind of generosity and warmth can be quite rare in our cynical world but I grew up with it on a daily basis.  This nurturing atmosphere definitely helped influence and mold me into the person that I am today.  My sisters, although older than me, have always made it clear that they are proud of me and that family is all that matters, no matter what.  I am blessed, indeed.

I am blessed to have spent the majority of my life in this amazing country called Canada.  This land of far open spaces, wilderness and Victorian influenced cities.  It is a young country when compared to Europe and more eastern countries but it has a warmth and hospitable charm that is hard to find anywhere else on earth.  I live in a city where I am not afraid of my neighbour, there are no shots heard in the night and I have no worries of religious intolerance or being jailed for my beliefs.

Let us all ponder and give thanks in whatever way we feel fitting for all the blessings we have in this life.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!