Thursday Thirteen #147

THIRTEEN THINGS
I'M THANKFUL FOR

1) I don't have cancer. Every day I remind myself to be grateful that both biopsies taken on 9/9 came back benign.

2) My cat, Charlotte, is fine. Unbeknownst to her, she had her own cancer scare this year. The vet warned me the lump on her tongue could be malignant. Thankfully it was just allergies!

3) Time with my mom. When I think of her, I think of the Beatles song, "Two of Us." You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches on ahead .... I realize that because of her age, our time together is short, and it makes me appreciate it more.

4) Shared history with friends. My oldest friend and I have known one another more than 45 years. I'm still in regular contact with a group of buddies I met in 1981. I have known Barb and Kathleen since 1995. The newbie of my circle, my best friend, has been around since 2004. I am thankful that they have stuck with me so long and through so much!

5) My cat Joey's open heart. He is such a loving a tub of guts.

6) My cat Reynaldo. His energetic approach to life can be a challenge. OK, at times he's a demon of destruction. But he teaches me patience. Every day.

7) My imagination. Yes, I can be all day-dreamy. But it serves me well. I am blessed with a creative mind, and I think it springs from this difficult-to-harness trait.

8) Books. I am a reader, and it's expanded my world enormously.

9) Music. I'm utterly tone deaf and can't sing a note, yet certain songs can change my mood instantly. I avoid the sad ones and am grateful for the happy ones.

10) Movies. I am in love with the process of going to the movies -- from buying the ticket to sitting in the dark and watching the coming attractions and then the main feature. I am thankful that for $10 I can so easily be transported to a new world.

11) My niece and nephew. It's been a joy to see how different they are from one another, how individual, how special.

12) My career. It's taken some twists and turns but it has always kept a roof over my head and has provided me with valuable benefits that let me get good healthcare.

13) The tree outside my livingroom window. It's on my neighbors property, and when I saw the tree service was cutting away at it, I was afraid we were losing it for good. No, they were just trimming away, and I'm so grateful. For this tree, bare now, symbolizes the four seasons for me -- watching it go from green to gold to bare and back again is one of the joys of living in the midwest.

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