Monday, March 30, 2009

March Gratitude

It may seem as though I’m not very grateful this month. I certainly haven’t been posting regularly. March is a pretty rough time for me. I was diagnosed with cancer in March, and I still get a little freaked out around mid-March. Last year my cousin was diagnosed with cancer in March, and we buried him in April. This year, my dad was diagnosed with cancer in March. My aunt went into the hospital on March 27 and was close to death. There’s just something about this month that is tough for my family. In the midst of that, however, there are some things to be grateful for.

I’m really grateful for my family. I’m especially grateful for my new grand-niece, Abigail. If pictures can be believed, she’s quite lovely. She gave her mama a tough time over the last couple of month, and we were worried that she might be born with some long-term problems. As it turns out, she’s radiantly healthy, and we are all very grateful for that. And, my aunt, who we thought was leaving us, seems to be recovering after all. It's still touch and go, but they found the problem and it can be treated.

I’m grateful for the folks here at work who put up with my personal March Madness, especially Leslie, Dave, Mike, and Bridget. I’m grateful to have a job in this economy, but how much more blessed am I to be working with such wonderful people.

I’m also grateful for my Toastmasters club and all the wonderful people in it. I’m especially grateful for Emi, Barbara, and Rob.

I’m very grateful for all the bloggers out there with food allergies who contribute their hard-won wisdom and recipes to the world out of the goodness of their hearts. It’s been so encouraging to me as I’ve tried to adjust to my food allergies. In that same vein, I am very grateful for the restaurants that serve food that I can eat, where the servers know what ingredients are in each dish, and where they don’t become impatient if you have a special request. I am especially grateful to my neighborhood Mexican restaurant, where I can get a good meal with friendly service every time I walk through the door without a moment of concern. If you're in the area, stop by at Rio Rico in Gilbert. They're great.

I am always grateful for my dog, who always has a spare kiss that he’d just love to share with me. He is so faithful and loving, even if I come home late. I read an article recently that says that when you look into the eyes of your dog while you are playing, it creates the same kind of hormonal changes in your body that would occur if you were playing with your child. Now that’s something to be really grateful for! What a gift dogs give us!

I am grateful for my Internet connection, my laptop, my car, my house, my clothes, my mind, my body, and so many other things that I tend to take for granted until they stop working for a while.

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