Why?
Because I have so many things to be thankful for that simply trying to put them in list form didn't work.
Thankfulness needs to be put into context in order to understand why I am truly thankful for what on the surface may appear to be fairly ordinary things.
So what did I do? As I said in my last post about getting rid of old to make room for the new that is exactly what I did. I deleted all the old, stagnant posts so I could have a fresh start on this topic.
You wouldn't think that the topic of thankfulness would be hard to write about, but for me it has been. Partially because thankfulness is not stagnant. It is always fluid. It's like the Grand River near my house. Continually flowing. Even under the current covering of ice and snow, there's a current - a strong one - flowing underneath. Unseen but still there.
Thankfulness needs to be put into context in order to understand why I am truly thankful for what on the surface may appear to be fairly ordinary things.
So what did I do? As I said in my last post about getting rid of old to make room for the new that is exactly what I did. I deleted all the old, stagnant posts so I could have a fresh start on this topic.
You wouldn't think that the topic of thankfulness would be hard to write about, but for me it has been. Partially because thankfulness is not stagnant. It is always fluid. It's like the Grand River near my house. Continually flowing. Even under the current covering of ice and snow, there's a current - a strong one - flowing underneath. Unseen but still there.
My current of thankfulness rans the gamut of being thankful for creature comforts like indoor plumbing and central heating which don't make much sense unless you know that in the context of indoor plumbing, I may have just returned from an interior canoe camping trip in which the "necessary" (called a thunder box) is located approximately 35 metres from the tent site location and is usually uphill both ways) or in the case of central heating you understand that we're experiencing extremely cold weather here.
Thankfulness for me changes constantly depending on my circumstances; what's happening in my life at the moment.
When the cork came out of the bottle that long ago Thanksgiving and thankfulness began to flow, I mentioned one by one the people at the table who I was very thankful for. They included a daughter, son-in-law, grandchildren, my daughter's in-laws, etc. Each one had in one way or another stuck with me during a very difficult period in my life. Some in one way; some in another. To put it bluntly, each one knew me well - and loved me anyway. They had chosen to stay in my life.
That is one thing I am always thankful for: those who know me well and love me anyway. Those who have chosen to stay in my life. Those who affirm and encourage me.
Some have had to leave the circle not in malice or ill will but because they're lives have changed: illness, pursuing other interests, etc. .... Yet each one holds a treasured place in my heart.
When the cork came out of the bottle that long ago Thanksgiving and thankfulness began to flow, I mentioned one by one the people at the table who I was very thankful for. They included a daughter, son-in-law, grandchildren, my daughter's in-laws, etc. Each one had in one way or another stuck with me during a very difficult period in my life. Some in one way; some in another. To put it bluntly, each one knew me well - and loved me anyway. They had chosen to stay in my life.
That is one thing I am always thankful for: those who know me well and love me anyway. Those who have chosen to stay in my life. Those who affirm and encourage me.
Some have had to leave the circle not in malice or ill will but because they're lives have changed: illness, pursuing other interests, etc. .... Yet each one holds a treasured place in my heart.
*****
This isn't where I intended this post to go when I sat down, deleted the previous writing and started it again. Yet this is extremely fitting. Just as bullying/workplace abuse begins with people; people who use their tongues/resources/energy in negative ways which psychologically injure their target; recovery begins with people as well; people who reach out in one way or another and use their time/energy/resources to encourage and restore the affected person.
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