02 November 2006

Not your average thankful Thursday

As I stated on Monday, themed weeks are stressful for me and there was the possibility that I may change at any time. Well, today is that day. Two weeks of themes was more than I could bare and I have other things on my mind anyway.

As we approach Thanksgiving, I reflect on the many things I am thankful for. I actually do it almost daily for as we know nothing is promised. Yesterday a coworker received a call at work that her brother was killed. As she fell to the floor and cried hysterically, I was again reminded that nothing is promised and we should find something to be thankful for regardless. No, we may not have the money we want, the expansive home, blah, blah, blah, but shit; there IS ALWAYS something to be grateful and/or thankful for.

I think about the service members who have fought and died over the past 2-3 years fighting a war that many of us are still trying to make sense of. Many of these service members were in their prime; just getting into the swing of life and it was cut short. They'll be another notch in Death Tolls belt and then a forgotten memory save for their families and friends. Casualities of war is what the powers to be will see them as. Their SGLI (Service Members Life Insurance) will pay out, but I'm sure the surviving relatives would prefer the person and not the money. I also think about the servicemembers that return home and have nothing. Their homes are gone, the lives they previously had are gone; along with limbs and sound mental accuities. I'm thankful that I fortunately never got called to such a duty and that my 20 years of service will soon come to an end. The time I've spent in the military has served me well, but I can't do it anymore. I'll thank Uncle Sam and swiftly keep it moving.

For the shit I've endured in life by the hands of others and in some cases by fault of my own, I am truly thankful for the life I have. I realized that life is beautiful; life is a struggle; life is a beautiful struggle. No matter how hard I think I have it, there is someone somewhere worse off than me. I need to embrace the bad to enjoy the good. The Divine has given me that strength and I will not offend Him by being unnecessarily weak. As a dear friend said during a time of personal issues, "Hallelujah anyway!" I also know that "...no weapon formed against me shall prosper..." I know this to be true and for that I'm thankful.

There are many things I could go on and on about, but I know you feel me. I know we have times and days when all we want to do is bitch and gripe and I'm not saying you shouldn't. Hell, that would make us perfect if we didn't and we all know we're certainly not perfect. However, after the bitching/griping is over and after you've R.S.V.P'd to your pity party, look around you and find something and/or someone to be thankful for. Know that you probably didn't get where you are in life alone. Not just for this thankful/holiday season, but for everyday, please find ways to be thankful, find ways to be kind, and find ways to pay it forward.

I know it's not just me, so what/who are you thankful for today?

12 comments:

MagicalSis said...

Hey Girl~ this post is fulla the kinda gratitude that keeps us on the path.

I made a list this morning, it is a wednesday list that I do each week in order to stay in the positive.

One of my spiritual advisors once told me this simple thing....she said, "Thank God for Everything".

Anonymous said...

Yes, yes, yes. What amazes me is how truly good God has continued to be towards us. He is mighty and awesome. His power cannot ever be matched.

I praise and thank God for my family and friends; for the good times, the bad times, and the many in between times.

I thank God for man's foresight to invent email, because I get so overjoyed to receive emails from my niece who is serving in Iraq, to let us know that she's doing good and is safe - at least for that moment.

I am thankful to God everyday for Him keeping me mentally, spiritually, and emotionally sound and able to handle my daily life affairs.

SLUMP FACADE said...

Giving thanks is always a good thing, I'm thankful I'm such a great lover... Just kidding, I suck, but I'm thankful women keep giving me an opportunity to prove what I say is law!!!

Bananas said...

It is an old clique. The person who almost looses his/her life and then realizes how precious it truly is. They go on to thank God each and every day for the breathe he provides.

I often wonder, why does it take something that extreme - regardless of your situation - to make one realize how very, very lucky we truly are.

It's ironic.

Blu Jewel said...

magical - Yes, indeed! Thanks for coming back, hope you become a regular.

jojo - you sound like you truly get it. My prayers for safekeeping to your niece.

slump - you know truth is told in jest right and you're really nutty for your thankfulness.

terry - fortunately for me, i've pretty much always been thankful for things. My close call amplified my reasons to be even more thankful.

sidebar - for those who say "thank God" in a cavalier kind of way, might want to really start doing it.

layne bowden said...

let's see...

i have a million and one things to be thankful for... and i try not to ever forget it. if i started a list right now, i would take over your comments section. trust! even on my biggest, saddest, most incredible suck ass day. and this one is pretty close to being that... i am constantly thankful.

anyhoo...

have i told you lately how thankful i am for you, missy?

Peace. Always in all ways.

ncnaynay said...

I'm thankful for waking up in the same condition I was in yesterday. I'm thankful for my husband. I'm thankful for being able to email my grandma and my uncle, and for being able to pick up the phone and hear my mama's voice. I'm thankful for this mantra I have taped to my computer:
make some time
adjust attitude
ignore the Jonses
ditch the guilt
forgive someone
say no
ask for help
laugh
pray

Anonymous said...

I'm thankful you came up with this post! Happiness is highly dependent on how grateful we are for life's blessings. c",)

Anonymous said...

no words will ever convey the depths of my gratitude for my life and what I have in it. I've done dirty and yet was forgiven for it. I did good and got shit on for it too, but it taught me something valuable anyway. Big mama was a big influence in my life and how i live, so i know i have a lot to be thankful for. I may be hard on the outside, soft where it counts.

Today, I'm thankful for you posting this reminder and for me being smart enough to know to be thankful everyday.

Hawa Bond said...

I am thankful that I have two healthy children and two living parents. That alone makes my everyday a blessed day!

Thanks for posting this...

(PS: Which of our coworkers lost her brother????)

Anonymous said...

As the proud author of Hallelujah Anyway...I must say that this was a very good post. I've been so stressed lately. But I am so thankful for my new outlook on things. I went through a lot of pain this year, but had it not been for those events, I would have never taken the time to really get in touch with my spirituality and my faith. So, for those tests, I am truly thankful.

Copasetic Soul said...

all I have to say is 'Amen'