Happy Thanksgiving!
Tomorrow is one of our best holidays. We get a chance to visit friends and family and express thank you’s to our loved ones and consider what we’re thankful for in our lives.
It’s also a time to reflect on how fortunate we are to be alive, and to be here in the US. We can also reflect on how we might be able to help others who might not be in as fortunate a space as we might be.
This year I continue to be thankful for my faith being reinforced and growing each and every day. I know we are told to avoid religion and politics around the dinner table and now within our spheres of influence, but my walk with God has been such a fulfilling one that I am immensely thankful to have the time to explore it online and in the Bible etc. it has been a rewarding journey so far and I am so thankful I can continue it in the future.
I’m thankful for my family. My beautiful wife and my two beautiful girls, and my little boy who’s cooking in the belly until April. They have shown me how strong we “can” love and how the amount of love we “can” give is not limited. It just continues to grow and evolve the more we let it. I’m not kidding, for my soul’s fulfillment, this last couple of years have been amazing.
I’m thankful for a chance to get healthy again. Through faith and great accountability friends, I am learning to make better choices on diet and exercise. RoseAnne and Rebecca are working on their goals and I am working on mine but the team is doing well and we’re all looking forward to a great Thanksgiving Cheat day :). But knowing that I can move, improve and control the sweet tooth are all big victories - and not doing it on a special diet, just improving will power is also very empowering. I am very hopeful that this lifestyle modification will help me to reach longer term health goals like staying out of risk for diabetes and being able to enjoy my children into my 80’s will be attainable. But this is only the start and I know that the long game on this one is the real test.
These are all great things, but then there are things that can be goals for all of us. If we’re able, how will we give of ourselves more this year to be the people we should be? How will we continue to connect with people who need help, or who we can help? In order to be our best selves, what are the things we need to do inside “us” and then how do we manifest that change “outside” us? What do we need to do in order to affect change, and make a meaningful impact on the life of another? How can we all judge a little less and help a little more?
This may be a little sanctimonious, but this is the time of year to be that way - to think bigger picture, outside of our everyday quests and reassess what is truly important. If we view things as more important than relationships, then we probably reassess our priorities.
At any rate, if you made it this far I thank you for reading this, and I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.
NYT article that nicely describes the family conundrum of being caught in the “ in between” of needing care but care is it available or authorized. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/01/opinion/alzheimers-long-term-care.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/these-former-nike-executives-are-looking-to-disrupt-the-death-care-industry/?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=Facebook_Mobile_Feed&utm_campaign=challengerbrands&utm_content=phase1&utm_term=cold-lists
Just ran across this very interesting article on new offering for funeral arrangements. I have participated in several funeral planning arrangements and have been very disappointed in the process. ( one funeral parlors price list included a charge of $100 to do the newspaper obituary! They have you a form that you fill out.( which is free from newspaper to obtain and submit BTW) because they collect it from you and gac it to the newspaper they add a $100 charge to the list of fees Yikes! Read the article for this fresh and new approach!!