Thankfulness...

So with Thanksgiving literally tomorrow, I figured I'd follow suit and write a little blurb about what I'm thankful for. While I say 'little,' there is really so much to be thankful for that I'm not even sure I can remember it all.

While I was driving to work this morning, I couldn't help but reflect on the beauty of this world. Just seeing the sunshine creating a beautiful halo through the thin cloud covering was inspiring. All the different intricacies in nature are just overwhelming and I'm so thankful to not only live in a world that is so colorful, vibrant and lively, but I'm also thankful that I can see, hear, smell and touch it all.

I'm thankful for the people I have in my life. For the wonderful, loving husband I get to see every day, for my Mother who inspires me more every time I see her, for my brothers and the amazing women they've found to cherish for the rest of their lives and for my adorable nephew who teaches me to celebrate the littlest things with pure joy. I'm thankful for two grandparents who have been such role models for me and the way I've lived my life, who display such adoration and love for one another while never failing to share their faith in every facet of their lives. I'm thankful for cousins and aunts and uncles who I have had the opportunity to develop relationships with, and for dear friends who have seen me through thick and thin and who I can rely on for a good belly-aching laugh.

Despite the petty differences and political mumbo-jumbo that we endured for the past few years leading up to this month's presidential election, I am thankful to live in a country where we do enjoy the freedom to vote for our own leader, where we are free to live our own way and where we can live harmoniously with so many different types of people from all kinds of backgrounds. I'm eternally grateful to the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for this country, from the very beginning of our country's history to today, granting us the freedom to practice the values we stand for.

I'm thankful for the little things that make life what it is - for appliances that make daily chores less tedious, for cars that can take us from point A to point B, for clothing, clean drinking water, medicine and education. For life's little surprises like cards in the mail, fresh flowers, a hug from a friend or a good joke.

Food is a pretty substantial part of my life, so it's hard not to be thankful for it. I love cooking, baking and playing around with ingredients, so I'm thankful to have so many different fruits, vegetables, meats, spices, etc to experiment with. I'm thankful my parents raised me to try anything once because had I not, I probably wouldn't have the educated palate that I do. I'm thankful for the indulgences in life like ice cream, chocolate, wine, cheesecake and candy.

And as hard as the past two years have been since my father passed away, I'm thankful for the good memories we have of him. I'm thankful for the parts of him that are reflected in me - not only in my physical appearance like my height, my long legs and my nose (there's no question I got the Knapper nose), but also in my sense of humor and my work ethic. I'm so thankful for the morals and values he and my mother together instilled in my brothers and I, and I'm thankful for the presence he continues to have in my life.

The life I have is so full of wonderful, amazing things. Every day, I am amazed by something new and every day, I learn something I didn't know yesterday...and for that I am thankful.

stats...

Well, let the poking and prodding begin...or continue, I guess. I found out last week I most likely have something that 20% of the American population deals with. Thankfully, that's a pretty high statistic which means that doctors know exactly how to treat it. However, despite how common a medical condition is, it doesn't make it any easier to know that I am now part of that statistic.

After donating what seemed like endless vials of blood last week - it was probably close to like 4 or 5, but when you're sitting there staring at anything but the needle in your arm and making awkward conversation with the person who handles hundreds of blood samples day in and day out, it can seem like a lot more, my husband and I have decided to seek a second opinion after an opportunity presented itself (Thanks, mom-in-law!).

I'm pretty sure I'll get the keep the rest of my blood, but more poking, prodding, questions and repeated answers are what I get to anticipate in the next couple weeks. I know, lucky me, right? The nightmares have already started and I'm sure as more appointments and potential procedures fill up my calendar, they'll only get worse. But hopefully, it's all a means to an end.

Ironically, after talking to some of my close friends in our little circle, it turns out the statistics are actually pretty dead on because out of the whole lot of us - 10 or so give or take depending on the day, occasion and venue, 3 of us now share a common bond. Just a little over 20 %.

Freaky, huh?

health...

No one really expects bad news. At least I don't. I try to be  pretty positive person; I feel like by my being positive, I'm helping others to be positive as well. It's all about your attitude about things, which coincidentally was what the sermon I was listening to this morning on my way to work was exactly about. My mother let me borrow a few sermons on cd by Joyce Meyer, who I mentioned a couple blogs ago. I quoted her on Facebook this morning because her words were especially poignant for me today. She said (repeatedly), "Your problem is not your problem; your attitude about your problem is your problem." And she's so right. How we react to the trials of life reflects how those trials will effect us.

Everyone has problems. Especially now as we see the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, it's evident that some peoples' problems are far larger than others'. I can't imagine the heartache, fear and utter loss that some of the people in NYC and NJ are going through. I can't imagine waking up one day and realizing that everything I ever had is gone. It's these kinds of things that make me examine my own problems and really take a step back and see them for what they are.

All that said, it's still hard to face unexpected problems and bad news without some level of worry and trepidation. My husband and I are in new territory right now and despite knowing that it's not uncommon or untreatable, it's still scary. It's hard to know how to react when you know something is wrong but you have to wait to find out exactly what. But, in the grand scheme of things, it's a small roadblock. We are happy, mostly healthy and fortunate to share the life we do with the friends and family we have.