The Thanksgiving Challenge

I am really loving how Facebook brings a lot of people into my life that I would not otherwise have met. It is wonderful to hear other people's perspectives - even when they don't mesh with my own. Another benefit is that interesting challenges come across my computer screen. This year, the following message caught my eye: "November's Thankgiving Challenge: Every day until Thanksgiving, think of something that you are thankful for and post it as your status. "Today I am thankful for". If you think you can do it, then re-post this message as your status to invite others to take the challenge, then post what you are thankful for today...". I started out by being thankful for my mom, who recently very bravely went through radiation treatment for skin cancer this summer, and this month had both of her knees replaced. She is an extraordinary woman, and I am so proud that she (along with my dad) was chosen to raise me. I have been working for the last year or two on cultivating an "attitude of gratitude", and this challenge was a good way to keep me on track. Though I didn't manage to post every day, I did pretty well, and more importantly, I was blessed with the opportunity to stop and think about my many blessings. The following are the entries that I posted during the month of November. I hope that you are inspired to cultivate your own attitude of gratitude...
Today I am thankful for trained medical staff that sacrificed sleep and trained for hours, devoting years of their lives to learning their trade so that they could care for my mom when she needed them most. What are you thankful for today?
Today I am thankful for a husband and partner who is as passionate as I am about allowing as many old dogs as possible to enjoy the twilight years of their lives in comfort, warmth, and as little pain as possible, surrounded by love. Thank you, Dan, for helping me fulfill our mission.
Today I am thankful for the beautiful view that greets me every morning, living out here in the country. Every day the lighting and the landscape is different, changing with the seasons, including the wonderful scents of things growing, frost in the air, or flowers and trees blooming. I am grateful for the prompting that led us to buy this place twenty years ago.
Today I am grateful for a great vet. He takes great care of our pups, really listens, and is always there when we need him! Click like if you are thankful for your vet!
Tonight I am grateful for the new washer and dryer that are humming merrily along in my laundry room tonight. I am very, very appreciative of the means to pay them off over time so that we could get them washing those pee pee towels right away!
Today I am thankful for the brilliant and dedicated people that I work with. Educators and other staff involved in education are tremendously devoted to their work, and I for one am grateful not only for their positive impact on our society, but also that I can count myself among them.
Today I am thankful for a vehicle that is reliable enough to take me where and when I want to go. There were many times in my life when I could not have said this, so I am extra grateful now!
Today I am thankful that my parents raised me to be an independent person, willing to problem-solve when I really want to do something that seems impossible. I am so grateful that life wasn't handed to me on a platter so that I could gain skills needed to function as an adult, and be okay with things that at least come close to my dreams.
Tonight I am thankful for the food that graces my table and fills the bowls of our little four-legged loves here. Though sometimes I cannot resist the bounty, I am grateful that our bellies never growl with hunger.
Tonight I am thankful for the excitement and exuberance that comes with learning something new and the thrill that I get helping children to discover that feeling. Some days I am SO lucky!
Tonight I am thankful for the simple joy of running around in a big field with a passel of puppies streaming out behind and ahead of me. We need to take a lesson from little kids and dogs...sometimes it is good to run just for the fun of it!
Tonight I am grateful for a new additional job that I can do from home surrounded by Dan and the dogs. We need the extra money to pay for kibble and vet bills, and I feel very fortunate to have a way to earn that money!!
Today I am thankful for the heat that pours forth from my boiler every day to warm my feet and soothe my spirit. I am grateful to be able to pay my oil bill so that we (Dan, the dogs, and I) can enjoy each others' company without being uncomfortable now that the weather is getting colder!
Today I am thankful that my mom is home safe and sound, and able to sleep in her own bed tonight. :-)
Today I am thankful that I didn't have to be at work, toughing it out while I feel crappy. :-) A good nap is priceless!
Tonight I am thankful to have the blessing to work with a co-worker who is intelligent AND has a delightful personality. We make a good team, and I am so grateful for her help in making me a better educator.
Tonight I am thankful for all my rescue friends out there...working tirelessly every day, every night, holidays, weekends....giving of their money, homes, and time to help save as many animals as possible. Thank you for teaching me that there are many, many good people in this world. You inspire me.