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Thankfulness 2013, Part One: Person


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I say Part One because there will be a new thread each day in the coming week, with different topics but all about thankfulness.

 

I find in these busy post-millenial times, and especially amidst the swirl of the holidays gathering steam, that stopping to remember what is right & good in life is a thing that gets so overlooked. I mean, who's got time for that? We're all so busy just putting one foot in front of the other as we race  through life.

 

So if you are so inclined, join me in a moment's meditation in this Thanksgiving week, and count up some of what we are lucky to have in our lives.

 

For this, Part One, I ask that you name a single person from your real life for whom you are thankful. Just one person. There may be many you could mention, but for this exercise, choose just one, probably that person who just sprung unbidden into your mind. Who are you thankful for right now, today?

 

I'm thankful for my sister Elaine. Although we are in many ways very different people, still she always at least tries to see through my eyes when we talk. That generosity of spirit is a great personal trait in her. And it seems as though on a deep level, we see the world and its meaning and our meaning in it in a similar fashion. Also, we go way, way back, partners in crime (well, troublemaking) all the way back to childhood. I'm lucky to have her in my life. Also she home-brews some amazing beer!

 

Your turn. You can give a reason if you like, or simply name your person without comment if you prefer. Just spend a moment being grateful for somebody.

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My mom.  She is the most thoughtful person I know, and has more energy at 72 than I had at 22 (not to mention how little I have now at 46!).

 

I was recently telling a friend that my mom is very hard to buy gifts for, and my friend asked if my mom has any hobbies.  The first thing that came to mind was "she just really likes doing nice things for other people."   :yes

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I'm thankful for my sister. Although it shocks me to say that, considering that we get along like cats and dogs. But when it comes right down to it, she knows I'd always be there for her if she needs anything, and she has always been there for me. When you have a small family with few people left in it, it's good to remember the people it's easy to take for granted.

 

Thanks for the reminder to be grateful, Donna.

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I am thankful for my dad.  Both of my parents have been great, but I have a real bond with my dad.  We play tennis together.  We go to football and baseball games together.  He has been unbelievably patient with me and others in my family.  He is wise and generous.  He can be annoyingly obtuse about lots of things, but he has always been there for me, as has my mother.  But I feel like the bond I have with my dad is the closest.  I have twins.  Eight years old, a boy and a girl.  If I can foster the kind of relationship I have with my dad with either one, all the struggles I've had in this life will have been worth it.

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I am thankful for many people but when asked to name one, without question or hesitation, it must be my wife, Elizabeth. At 29 I had resigned myself to being alone. I was thinking about adopting children alone. I had decided that maybe the life that I had always thought would be, wouldn't be. Then, suddenly, that life was. And still is.

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These are such cool acknowledgements. :) These people had a hand in shaping us into who we are. I love hearing these stories.

 

The person named does not need to be "the most important" person in your lives, so don't get hung up on trying to figure out who that would be. Just name anyone you treasure.

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I have a lovely family I am thankful for every waking moment of every waking day

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I am thankful for my daughter. Her approach to life is filled with boundless energy, constant enthusiasm, and compassion for all those around her. She's intelligent and is just starting to develop a thirst for knowledge that I try hard to encourage. Seeing things through her eyes as she experiences them is something I'll always relish.

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Nice threads, Donna! Fun to both read and add to. :)

Today and forevermore, I am thankful for my best friend Kelly. We've been BFFs since the seventh grade in 1981. Early on in our friendship, she was impressed by my mom's collection of Beatles records, and one night on the phone, she asked me to play her "Hey Jude." I did so, on my older brother's turntable, and a minute or two into the song, I heard a sniffle. "Are you crying?," I asked her, incredulous. She admitted she was.

Fast forward 32 years later, to Solid Sound 2013. I had managed to convert her to Wilco fandom a year or so earlier. During the Friday night all-request show, she starts yelling "Jeeettt!!!" after every song --her request for the night (Wings). It was a blood-curdling cry. Finally, the guy in front of us turns around, exasperated, and says to her, "I think he knows his name!" Of course he thought she was screaming to Jeff. That's my crazy ass girl!

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During the Friday night all-request show, she starts yelling "Jeeettt!!!" After every song --her request for the night (Wings). It was a blood-curdling cry, annoying to all those around (even me!). Finally, the guy in front of us turns around, exasperated, and says to her, "I think he knows his name!" Of course he thought she was screaming to Jeff. That's my crazy ass girl!

I remember that! My thought then was, "That is some crazy-drunk woman!"

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I am thankful for my dad.  Both of my parents have been great, but I have a real bond with my dad.  We play tennis together.  We go to football and baseball games together.  He has been unbelievably patient with me and others in my family.  He is wise and generous.  He can be annoyingly obtuse about lots of things, but he has always been there for me, as has my mother.  But I feel like the bond I have with my dad is the closest.  I have twins.  Eight years old, a boy and a girl.  If I can foster the kind of relationship I have with my dad with either one, all the struggles I've had in this life will have been worth it.

 

(I may have told this story here before...)

 

My dad passed away last April.  When he was sick, he said "I just hope I was a good daddy", and we all said, practically in unison "you were the best daddy".  My sisters and I (there are 4 of us, plus one brother) were discussing that later, and I said that probably the best thing he did for us (out of many wonderful things) was that all of us felt, and any of us could have made a good argument for it, that we were his favorite.

 

So make that your goal.  They should both believe that they're your favorite. :)

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Ha!

 

My mom has always been incredibly loving, none of us were short-changed there, but when we were growing up, we sisters always felt that our brother was her favorite.  It's very much an Irish mother thing, I think.  My nieces also recognize that their brother is Granny's pet.  It's frustrating that she refuses to recognize/admit that she's doing it.

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(I may have told this story here before...)

 

My dad passed away last April.  When he was sick, he said "I just hope I was a good daddy", and we all said, practically in unison "you were the best daddy".  

 

God, Maudie. I never heard that before. That's about the greatest thing.

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