Being Thankful
 

Whenever I had Thanksgiving at my home, one of my traditions was to ask everyone to say something meaningful that they are thankful for.

Sometimes it's not just what I am thankful for but hearing that other people are thankful for things I didn't think about, help me to know that no matter how bad things get - there is always something to be thankful for.

At this very minute - I am having an "up" day and I am so thankful that I have found this site. It really helps me to communicate with people who truly understand what I am going through and who willing share their trial and errors in their own situations that are helping me to get through mine.

I am also thankful that I have had a wonderful, supporting boss for many years who is like a father to me and I can talk to him about my situation. He does not judge me, gives rational advise and in fact he, his wife and family treat my like I am part of their family.

I would love to hear what others are thankful for if you want to share.

I am thankful for DD - after 8 yrs of difficulty conceiving, she is the ultimate gift from HP & everything I would have been to humble to ask for in a child.

I am thankful for SR - the difference between who I was before I found this resource & who I am now is extraordinary. I would NEVER be able to handle my current crisis so confidently without all that I have learned here.

I am thankful for my friends - I do not have many but the ones I have are like Gold & I can count on them for anything.

I am thankful for my cats - they always seem to know when I need extra love & then they smother me with it. I often wake in the morning to find all of them surrounding me in my sleep like Guardians. They will not leave my bedroom until I wake & walk out of the room first.

I'm thankful for my parents, my siblings, and my children. I'm thankful for the good years I had with my husband.

Like firesprite - I'm thankful for my cats. I couldn't imagine life without my furbabies :)

I'm thankful for my friends, my job, my health, & my home. I'm thankful for the digital age which makes it so much easier to find support like SR than it was before the internet.

Finally, I'm thankful for God and the peace he provides me despite my circumstances.

I have a beautiful cat with the most wonderful personality. Unfortunately I had to leave her at the house until I have a place of my own because the people I am staying with are allergic and I couldn't find someone to keep her for me.
I miss her so much and can't wait until I get my own place and can get her back.

November is one of my favorite months ~ for the past 4 years I have posted 30 days of gratitude on FB ~ each day posting something I am grateful for ~ sometimes it's deeply heartfelt like How I am so grateful for my unperfect parents because we matched perfectly as I am an unperfect daughter and then another it will be something fun such as peanut butter & hot choc ~ my two staple food groups! lol

Mostly I am thankful for the God of my understanding and for PINK. MY God had a wonderful plan for my life and I am so grateful He used pink to do it.
Early in al-anon, my home group asked me to start focusing on what I liked. Geez what did I like ~ they said - start with your favorite color ~ I said I kinda like pink.
and one lady said that's an excellent place to start.

So here I am 10 yrs later and so happy, joyous and free ~ because I started my program focusing on one little thing "Pink" ~ Pink opened the door for me to have choices, boundaries, courage, strength, wisdom, laughter, gratitude, forgiveness, healthy compassion, friends, HOPE and a future ~ something the disease of alcoholism stole from me a long long long time ago.

So when you see me type PINK hugs ~ please know I am sending you the hopes & wishes that you will have these same things too!

grateful - so very very grateful!

pink hugs!

Ok. We can do the Alphabet Gratitude Game.

Since I am first, I'll get A. :)

"A" is a Fun one.

I am thankful Alcoholics. Addicts. Anorexia. and of course A-holes.

All those things that bring us to Alanon. (another A word).

mkay -- who has "B" ???

Ok I like this - I'll take "B"

I am thankful for boundaries -I am learning how important they are.
Bananas, really fresh, where the tips are still green and babies, sweet fresh smelling newborn babies.
And I am also thankful for beef, love me a great steak!

Not too fond of b-holes though.

<snicker> Charmed said b-holes </snicker>

Boundaries is as VERY Good B.

So I will do C?

How about our 3-C's?

We Cannot Cause, Control, or Cure an A.

Asked the kids, and they were still looking rather vacant on the way to school.

So I will put "C"hildren.

Who has "D"?

I'll join!

D . . . dignity

The dignity I give myself and others when I Detach with love.

ok now the next person has E. . .

OK....E...

I'm thankful that I have now learned to be able to talk about the Elephant in the room!

Addiction was always that thing which no one in the family talked about...mine, my husband's...addiction and the associated problems were always just that big old honkin' Elephant that everyone (including me) ignored for a long time.

Not anymore :)

F. After my "mothers" email yesterday there are many F words that come to mind but not particularly thankful ones :)

No in all seriousness, I'm thankful for family (my kids) and friends (right now you all here feel more like family and friends than most of my in the flesh ones here at home).

I'm thankful for my freedom from XAH too.

I am thankful for SR and knowing others are in a similar position and able to understand
I am thankful for my good health - something I take for granted but shouldn't
I am most of all grateful for my beloved cats - without them I would have lost the will to live - they bring me joy
I am grateful for my friends too.

ok, I'll do F.

I am thankful for Fun. Big fun, little fun, the fun of a child's birthday party with loud happy children. The quiet fun of reading a story to my grandsons. The fun I have learned to see thanks to all the wise people on this site. The ones who told me life was a matter of attitude and I could pick my attitude. I didn't have to accept to sour attitudes of the A in my life.

So I choose fun, for all the fun I closed my eyes to for all those years.

Your friend,

G is OPEN?

eewww. Easy Money.

God.

The HP side of the house.

I'm grateful for my own recovery. I'm grateful for my health, freedom, and independence. I'm grateful I have the ability to learn and grow, and I'm grateful I have the willingness to do so.

I'm grateful for my beautiful, smart children. I'm grateful for their hugs and kisses and time.

I'm grateful for music, art, technology, bicycles, trees, blue skies, lap cats, wool yarn, and hot tea.

Hmmm "H"

healthy, humble, hopeful, happy are my positive words

heartbroken and humiliated are words that describe what brought me here to SR and words that I hope will soon connected to memories in the past.

I'll do "I"

I am grateful for individuality ~

I learned that I am a separate individual from the A's in my life ~ my happiness doesn't not depend upon them or their actions.