thankful thursday

i know i probably should have posted this last week on thanksgiving, but quite honestly i was just so busy visiting family, eating good food and enjoying the spirit of the holiday that i couldn't be bothered to log on here and make a list of things for which i'm thankful.  however, a week later here i am contemplating my life and how i really should be more appreciative of the things and people in it.  i've heard so many stories lately that have made me realize the things i complain about - occassional problems finding a parking space on my street, my commute, various work-related issues, not being able to go to london for christmas for the first time in 4 years, having to spend money on dental work, etc. - really aren't that big of a deal in the grand scheme.  i choose to live in chicago therefore i basically choose to live with parking problems and ridiculous commutes.  i may not always be happy at work but at the end of the day i know i've contributed something positive toward helping people affected by a terrible health issue.  i'll have to see my niece and nephew open presents via skype this year but i'll get to see my sis and fam in the spring and will probably go to london next summer.  in turn i get to spend christmas with my parents, bf, and other family.  though it's a big hit to the bank account, i can manage to pay for dental work so that i can have pretty, healthy teeth.  a lot of people can barely afford food, much less porcelain veneers.

recently i've heard the following stories:

- woman, in her mid 30s with a husband and young child, diagnosed with breast cancer that metastasized after several rounds of chemo and radiation.  her prognosis is not good.

- friend who changed jobs 6 months ago and is now being layed off at the end of december

- another friend who has been with her company for 10 years and her position is being eliminated, again by the end of december.  corporate america is awesome at the holidays, isn't it?

- acquaintance of a friend who has worked at her company for 30+ years, has had to take a 33% pay cut and now will most likely have little to no retirement because of the company's financial status.  to top it off, her dad passed away a few days ago.  wonder how much the executives at her large, fortune 500 company are going to have to forfeit in this mess?  i'm guessing it'll be a drop in the bucket compared to her situation.

- woman who lost her husband to alzheimer's disease the week of thanksgiving after several years of acting as his primary caregiver and watching his health and memory painfully deteriorate

- friend of a friend who lost his 23 year old brother to an undetected heart condition that caused a sudden, fatal heart attack.  his funeral was the day after thanksgiving.  luckily his dad's bone marrow transplant a few days prior was successful so he was able to grieve with his family over the loss of his son before returning to the hospital for further cancer treatment.

unfortunately, i could continue with other heartbreaking stories but i'm really not writing this to bring anyone down.  i'm writing this to call attention to the things we take for granted; the things we cherish and love sometimes without realizing it until they are gone.  good health, enough money to pay the bills, family, supportive friends, employment.... all of these are factors of my life that i take for granted more than i care to admit.  so today i'm celebrating thanksgiving and taking a moment to be thankful for every person in my life who i care for, for a crazy cat that makes me laugh every day, for a great bf, for the food i'm able to put on the table, the wine i'm able to drink (duh, of course i'm thankful for wine!), and for self, who - even though she can be an annoying cow - keeps me in check and reminds me to appreciate all that i have.