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?