I Am Thankful

I open my eyes and am glad to be alive. I stretch and immediately am thankful for my cozy comfortable bed (having slept in lumpy old bunks crammed with siblings where I was far from comfortable) and the warmth of my bedroom. Not so long ago I was in a home where there was no heat and it was c-o-l-d! And I remembered living at Charlie Lake in the winter when you had to use the outdoor facilities that were definitely not heated. I am so spoiled.

I am thankful I do not have to rush to work and do hard physical labor before breakfast (like when I visited at Gram's and the chickens had to be fed first). And how luxurious is a hot shower! Manys the time I have taken cold washcloth baths after carting gallon jugs of water from the mountain pipe down the road, pulling dozens of the heavy things in a little red wagon. Or stood in a pan and poured warmed water over myself, soaped up in the freezing air of the unheated house, then doused again to rinse. That's no fun.

I am thankful my house has no vermin or critters. My sister used to sleep with the dog even though she was no fan of dogs because it kept the mice from running over her bedcovers at night. And in the south, the inevitable cockroaches gave me the nervous willies. I love my warm flannel jammies and sheets - no need for hot water bottles to keep your toes from freezing with shock from touching frigid cloth.

I am blessed to have a closet full of clean clothing that I like. Stuff that fits, is my preferred color and style, and is NOT a hand-me-down. My shoes are perfect for my feet and don't give me blisters (unlike those blasted Salvation Army used shoes I had to wear when I was a kid), and my sweaters (plural) are warm warm warm. I love the smell of my shampoo and handsoap. I not only have food in my fridge, I have a fridge and not an ice cooler. Manys the time I have lived in a dumpy place where either there was no refrigerator or the electric was off. What a nuisance to have to buy ice and dump out stale water and hope to God the food isn't spoiled. And I have pans and a working stove to warm my delicious food, of which I can choose what I am in the mood for today.

I have a happy little doggie companion, a car that works well and is dependable and gets good mileage, a son who keeps me company, neighbors to chat with, a quiet peaceful neighborhood, and money in my wallet. Not a lot, but enough. I have a job thank God thank God - one I truly like and enjoy and find pleasure in doing with good people. I am free to come and go without being questioned and for the most part I am not in pain. At least not constantly. And I can get medicine when I need it.

I cannot even really begin to list the wonderful amazing blessings I enjoy on a regular basis. What's not to be thankful for? As Julian of Norwich once said, "…All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." which translated means, Thank God, I am blessed.