American Thanksgiving

The American Thanksgiving is held this coming Thursday and I've been reading comments on Facebook about it.  Shelley, and others, have posted every day this month about the things in her life she has to be thankful for and it got me thinking.  It seems as though I wasn't even aware of what I had to be thankful for until mere years ago.  I just took everything for granted.

We should never take our good fortunes for granted.  I have precious family that I take pains to make sure I love them dearly but I just assume that my friends know how much they mean to me.  What they'll never really know is just how important they are in my life and how rich they've made my senior years.

Family will always come first, of course, but some friends become as close as family and I'd be lost without them.  It's true that good friends know all the bad things about you but love you anyway and that is a comforting thought.  Sometimes we think our families just tolerate us because we're related but friends can walk away any time if they choose.

I've lived on this planet for over 72 years and I know how precious friendship is.  I'm lucky enough to have family members who are also friends, not just family, and they are treasures.

So, on this coming Thanksgiving, I am reminded how deeply thankful I am for my family and friends because my heart would be empty without them.