Thankful Thursdays

Recognizing the blessings I have in my life makes me focus on the positive things I have going on... and that keeps me walking on "The Happy Side".

[1] First, I must give credit where credit is due: I picked up 'Thankful Thursdays' from my blogging friend, Heidi, who picked it up from her friend and so on and so on. I'm thankful that Heidi introduced me to Thankful Thursdays so I can purposefully remember the things I'm thankful for!

[2] I'm thankful that my family and I have health insurance and that my father has medicare so that we were all able to get our flu shots this year. With young, school-age children, the shot is pretty critical in avoiding the otherwise inevitable week+ in bed feeling miserable this flu season. And, for my elderly Dad, this shot can be a real life-saver... literally!

[3] I'm thankful for the beautiful pets I have -- all rescues -- and for the people who make it possible to adopt such wonderful animals. As I go through the process of [maybe] looking for another dog-in-need that might fit happily into our family, I'm saddened at the number of homeless pets there are. But, I'm massively impressed with the quality people who choose to dedicate their lives to help carefully re-home these desperate and deserving animals.

[4] I'm thankful that I have a good relationship with my daughter. When something bothers her, she never fails to discuss it openly with me so that we can come up with some ideas together to help resolve her issue. I'm sad that she occasionally encounters problems but I'm happy that she's learning to communicate and talk things out... and that she trusts me.

[5] I'm thankful for my half-finished mess of a 200-year-old, bayman's cottage with all it's inherent problems. I know I'm lucky to have a roof over my head while so many others are having trouble keeping theirs.

In honor of Thankful Thursdays, take a moment to think about the things that make you feel thankful today!