Thanksgiving Thoughts

This Thanksgiving season, let’s take a moment to appreciate all of the things that bring light into our lives. Being grateful doesn’t mean that everything is perfect; but whatever our situation, we can acknowledge that we have much to be thankful for.

Think of all the people who've shown us kindness and compassion — not just our families and friends, but the strangers who've given us a helping hand when we needed it. Even though we might feel alone and unappreciated sometimes, those kindhearted souls have shown us that there is goodness and light in the world.

Think of the food and the shelter that sustain us and keep us warm. If we're fortunate enough to have these comforts on a daily basis, let's remember that one in 10 people in the world go to bed hungry each night.

Think of the opportunities we've been given. Even though we've all had difficulties and it sometimes may feel like the world is unfairly stacked against us, so many opportunities have been placed in our hands.

And finally, let's ponder this big, beautiful mystery of a universe that we were born into. Although it can be a cruel place that beats down the weak and crushes the spirit of the innocent and hopeful, it is also a miraculous, unfathomably wondrous place that inspires, mystifies and fills us with awe.

It's now been two and a half years since I was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare and incurable form of blood cancer. I live each day with uncertainty, knowing that my end could come quickly in the form of a fatal infection or uncontrolled bleeding from a wound.

I live on a precipice of vulnerability. And yet I find myself more grateful than I’ve ever been in my life.

I'm grateful for the love of family and friends ... grateful for the medical care I’m receiving ... grateful for every day I’m alive ... grateful for the hope that I could still have several good years ahead. And when the treatments stop working, I’m grateful that a bone marrow transplant could prolong my life even further.

When we gather around the table for our first Thanksgiving feast in our new home, an extra measure of thanks will be served along with the helpings of turkey and stuffing.

My hope is that your plate is filled to the brim with gratitude, too.

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P.S. I’ll be taking a break from this blog until after the holidays, giving us time to finish getting settled in our new home and time to fully enjoy the season with our kids and grandkids. I'll see you in the New Year, my friends.