HAPPY TURKEY DAY.

I hope all of you American readers are surrounded by family and friends, good wine, and an epic spread of delicious food.

As you laugh around the table, inevitably eat too much, and test the stretch-factor of your “Thanksgiving pants,” please take time to share gratitude for the blessings in your lives and remember those who are suffering.

A few things I’m thankful for this year (thinking out loud style)…

Safety

The world is sometimes a scary place, but I’m grateful to live in a town—in a country—where I am not persecuted and feel protected and secure behind my doors and out on the street.

An income that pays for shelter and food

…and the ever-increasing medical bills that are arriving in the mail lately.

Good health

This year has seen its ups and downs. My mother breaking her ankle at the end of June and enduring several months of (ongoing) recovery. Lab work and an outpatient surgery (and hand, foot and mouth disease this week) for our sweet Bazooka Babe—who I swear is going to get the last laugh now that his test results have come back negative and his official diagnoses is probably going to be: tiny. Mark dealing with some weird flu-like sickness this past week. I’m just grateful to be mostly healthy.

The generosity and empathy of humanity as a whole

I’m quick to retreat to my bubble of isolation when annoyed or overwhelmed with others, but how lucky I am to be surrounded by kind, passionate, intelligent, and helpful friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances. Though there is evil in the world, there’s no doubt in my mind that the people in our lives—even the strangers we encounter briefly—make life worth living.

Have a blessed day! We’ll be missing my in-laws this year, but we’ll make it up soon. I’ll be spending the next few days Christmas tree shopping, leftovers-grazing, trying to sleep in, and relaxing. See you next week.