Since February 29, 2012, my MS Day, I have been more aware of my blessings. A very hard season of personal losses in my workplace has made me very aware of my blessings, the things I am thankful for, and the things I take for granted. It is such a shame that sometimes it takes tragedy and hardship to recognize those things.
Before we ate lunch this past Thursday, my family went around my grandfather's living room telling what each person is thankful for. We started with my 2 and a half year old daughter who said she is thankful for her grandparents. (A statement which she reiterated several times while she ate.) It was a meaningful moment for the family when we recognized what we are thankful for. The main thing we were thankful for- family.
I am very thankful for my parents.
I am thankful for my job. It is hard some days. It is challenging. It is rewarding. I have a job unlike some people who are suffering job loss in this crazy economy.
I am thankful for my health. I have Multiple Sclerosis. I don't have cancer like the unfortunate people who shared the 6th floor of the hospital the day I was admitted to start treatment for that initial MS episode. I don't have double vision. My legs might be hurting today, but I can still walk.
I have to focus on these things to get past the hard spots that creep up when dealing with a chronic disease and the everyday worries of life.
We begin the Holiday Season with Thanksgiving to acknowledge and remember all the things we have to be thankful for. Black Friday and Cyber Monday fade into December and the Christmas season. But somewhere between shopping and checking our bank accounts to see if there is money to live on until January, we miss Advent.
Advent, that quiet marker of the holiday season, a time when we count down the days to our Savior's birth. Advent, a time when I become more aware of the most important thing I have to be thankful for- the birth of Jesus Christ. I'm ready to start the countdown to Jesus' birthday!
