Gratitude

 It's always a good time to focus on what we're grateful for in life, but Thanksgiving is a nice reminder to count our blessings. 

Two years ago on Thanksgiving Eve my little family moved into our new home! It was the first night we spent in this house and Thanksgiving morning we woke up here for the first time. Our home is modest; not very big, not expensive or expensively furnished, and probably not all "that" to a lot of people, but we love it. We waited so long to be able to afford our own home, and I've been grateful to be here every single day since.

Thirteen years ago on Thanksgiving Eve I came home from work and found a puppy hiding on our back porch. That, of course, turned out to be our Ginger. This photo was taken the next morning, Thanksgiving morning of 2007:

Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day ended up being a double homecoming for our family: first when Ginger found us, and then when we moved into our permanent home. Of course, this year it's a bittersweet holiday because we lost our good girl back in August. Tears are running down my face as I type this--I still love and miss her so much--but I'm so grateful for her and for her life. And I'm glad she had a year and a half in our new home before she died. I feel like her spirit is still here with us, her loving family. I'm grateful for our little family as a whole: my husband that I love dearly, our other good dog, Georgie, and even bratty Marco. We're an odd, slightly eccentric little family, but it means everything to me.

Then there's my job, that I also love; our continued good health (especially my cancer survivor husband's); and last but not least, our fantastic friends! I have so many wonderful friends that, pre-Covid, I had trouble making time for them all. A couple of my women friends have become as dear to me as sisters. I feel so very lucky to be blessed with so many friends.

Last but DEFINITELY not least, there are my blog friends! I never would have thought that so many people all over the world, people that I've never actually met in person, would become such a big and important part of my life. Just a couple of days ago Parsnip and her two good dogs in Arizona sent Georgie a care package in the mail, out of the blue, just because we're old friends and she's a thoughtful person. There was a stuffed duckie in there and George loves it so much he's been carrying it around with him and even sleeping with it! Other blog friends have sent me presents over the years: Anne Marie and her beautiful shawl, Terra and a lovely arrangement of flowers, Joanne and her hand woven kitchen towels that make me smile every single day when I use them.....But as nice as gifts are, what I really love is the thought behind them, and the love and support I get from so many other bloggers that I've gotten to know over the years. I'm humbled by all of the kindness I've been shown by you all. Thank you for being here. Thank you for being my friends. I count every single one of you as among my greatest blessings in life. 

So on that sappy and sentimental note, I'll end this post.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Love to you all.