Working on my Thankful attitude

Yes, I know it may be hard to fathom, but I heard that Thanksgiving is not about how much junk you can purchase on Black Friday, or how much food and booze you can cram into your stomach on Thursday (although I do plan on doing all of the above).  Nope, it turns out Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time to show thanks. Who knew.

This year has been very trying for my family. Honestly, I just want it to be done with.  Like most of us, it's really easy to get caught up in all the bad crap that has happened/is happening/or could happen.  Its way too easy to do that.  I'm trying to adjust my attitude a little and be thankful for a number of things, like:

• My adorable, difficult, special needs, 2 year old girl Hadley. After 4 trips to Salt Lake City this year to see her neurosurgeon and other specialists, she finally seems to be doing much better.  While she still doesn't sleep all night most nights, there are a couple of days per week now where my wife and I actually get a good 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Thank God, because we were seriously starting to experience sleep deprivation delusions.
• Career wise, I wish I was making more money (who doesn't!?), but my bosses at my multiple jobs are fantastic and supportive and my electricity has only been turned off once this year, so that's a bonus.
• I get annual MRI's and checkups for a brain tumor I had removed a few years ago. This year, everything looked good and I'm certainly thankful for that. It's easy to take your health for granted, until something goes haywire.
• The other kids are doing well in school and life.  I have a beautiful, busy, hectic, loud and loving household and we usually have plenty of food to eat, so I'm thankful for that. Both of my parents are still alive and doing well, definitely thankful for that.

So... yeah. Plenty to be thankful for. Good luck with your turkey this year (fry that sucker!) and best of luck at your family gathering, if that's what you do for Thanksgiving. Enjoy the shopping and the football and the extra days off from work. And try to be a little bit thankful for something, would ya?

Next time,

Michael