Remember the time...

I have been thinking about this one for a while now. I had all my phrases planned, my pauses calculated. And then it struck me that that would be as hypocritical as all the hype that I profess to hate. So instead of writing about whatever happened a year ago and how it is being dealt with now, I decided instead to give thanks. And this is what I must say a big thank you for...

For being alive and well. I am, I hope to stay that way. Those who are really important to me are still with me, and I hope they stay that way too. I pray for nothing these days, but I hope I can keep those I have with me, those I need, in physical reality, alive, well, whole and happy, for a long time to come. Since my wishes tend to be in five-year cycles, at least five years is a good start. Aim for that, hope for a lot more. Hey, you up there, the power that is, are you listening?

For being fed and clothed and housed. There are so many who are struggling with the everyday smallnesses of living. So far, I have managed never to be in that situation, thanks to those who stand by me and thanks to my own destiny and my own strengths. I hope that it stays that way for ever.

For being happy. I am a happy person in essence. I like seeing the good in people, in things, in times, in situations. Sometimes that becomes impossible and I go from being happy to being not at all happy. Which in itself makes me not at all happy. So I hope to stay happy. I hope that there will always be laughter and joy and that spirit in me that shows me good over bad, that shows me the way to find that goodness no matter what I am living through.

For being me. I like who I am, after a long time of not knowing who that "I" is. I thank everyone who has made me ME, from my parents to my life, to the power that is to my circumstances, to all the decisions I have ever made, good or bad. And, at the risk of sounding like an endless speech I could make at the Oscars, I hope there is more of the good stuff and very little of the bad stuff to come in the rest of my life.

It is Thanksgiving in some parts of the world. I give thanks for it all...