Thankful

To say it was difficult to see my parents home completely turned upside-down on Thanksgiving would be an understatement. They do have electricity, a working land line phone, and sporadic cable and internet, but it is just so freezing cold outside! Space heaters warm up pockets of the house. There is no hot water (which means no showers and only blasts of freezing cold water for hand washing). The hardest part was the loss of all of our stuff. The lawn is covered in memories that are destroyed - pictures, artwork from childhood, things my grandma had cherished, pieces of clothes my mom was hanging onto to give to grandchildren, not to mention furniture, appliances, electronics, and valuables. I've found it extremely difficult to be thankful this year with the frustrations and obstacles my parents have had to face. But my family's attitude is so inspiring. My mom has barely complained and even my dad and brother (who usually kvetch about any little thing) were in good spirits and were just happy to have me home. It felt really heartwarming seeing the trouble they went to just to make Thanksgiving a priority and feel a bit of normalcy. For the first time in my life, my mom's turkey wasn't on the table. The catered food was delicious but it was not the same.

2012 has been a pretty tough year for my family and for myself. This year, I'm thankful that my parents have a home and will eventually have their lives go back to normal even if it takes a while - many of their neighbors will not have that privilege. I'm thankful for having a job that is stable and fun for the most part - I know how it feels to be without one and it's very scary. I'm thankful for Alex who is my rock and my best friend. I'm thankful for the wonderful, supportive people in my life who I am proud to call my friends and family. Despite all the road blocks in the past year, I'm thankful for what I have because my life is full of so much good.

To quote Oprah: "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."