Thursday, November 25, 2010


My Thanksgiving list of 100 Things (or people) for which I’m thankful
(Those of you who know I teach journaling classes, know that I often recommend that people write lists of 100. Repetition is OK, but pausing to think or reflect isn’t!)

That traditions can change
That I had almost 20 years of perfectly traditional Thanksgivings in Los Gatos.
That today I slept through the Macy’s Day parade, even though I got up to watch.
That nobody expected anything of me today, and that I can still make “the” pumpkin pie tomorrow.
That I’m confident my children are accumulating happy Thanksgiving memories with other parts of their family.
for my husband who understands.
for my daughter who almost always understands.
for my son for whom understanding isn’t an issue.
for my grand-daughter who is another miracle in the world.
for my daughter’s wife who models self discipline in all the ways I need.
for my son’s wife who is a beatific mother and gentle soul.
for my for my friend in Estonia who thinks I understand her and knows I care.
for my friend in Dallas who knows how to make changes and find her way.
for my art instructor and her studio.
for artists who inspire
for art supplies and suppliers
for chocolate
for being old enough that I can ignore almost any so-called “rule.”
for my cat’s affection
for having grown up with a dog who was unconditionally affectionate
for learning to love so many kinds of music
for piano music
for flute music
for a sense of humor
for the Beatles’ music
for Christmas lights and decorations
for double chocolate chip cookies
for pulled pork
for slow cookers
for Honeycrisp apples
for my children
for my husband
for having survived breast cancer among other things
for the clients who let me try to help them and especially those who were helped
for mentors and teachers who tried to help and who did not criticize, even if they made necessary corrections
for roses
for my semi-green thumb
for rosemary
for hibiscus
for parsley and cilantro
for basil (and oregano)
for ranunculas
for amaryllis
for cultivators that make it easier to pull weeds
for higher than average bone density
for contact lenses
for hair that is finally almost back to normal after chemo
for shoes that are comfortable
for flannel
for yarn
for sheep
for beautiful knitting patterns
for knitting notions
for Starbucks mochas
for ”my” Starbuck’s atmosphere
for Holly who almost always comments on my blog entries
for my Flickr friends
for the group from 3fc who migrated to Facebook, even though none of us seems to have reached goal weight
for a good color sense
for being able to get along with an impaired sense of smell
for Beethoven’s piano Sonatas
for The Episcopal Hymnal
for the internet
for Google
for (even) Wikipedia
for Google Images
for Farol Davidson who introduced me to potential liberation in of books and libraries
for type fonts
for beginning to learn calligraphy when I was 10.
for the people I met while studying calligraphy, especially Jill, Betty, Alan, David
for Louise Moeri’s book Star Mother’s Youngest Child
for Irwin Yalom’s book Staring at the Sun
for a “classical” humanities education
for the ability to tolerate most emotions with courage
for Tamara’s friendship
for Suz who made me think it might be worth surviving junior high school.
for the politicians who really are working for “the greatest good,” not just power and influence
for writers and journalists who do the same. (Yay! Rachel Maddow and Jon Stewart and Valerie Plame and Tom Brokaw and David Attenborough)
for Wayne Thiebaud
for Wolf Kahn
for the Addison Gallery, Orleans with its taste so similar to mine
for the ocean
for hills and mountains and rocks and gems
for wildlife and the opportunity to observe it, read about it and learn from it
for plants that are ornamental and/or nourishing
for stars
for automobiles
for airplanes
for ways to connect with people over long distances
for my digital camera, upload cable and Photoshop
for the expectation of another day
for mobility
for relative financial security
for a warm place to sleep
for alarm clocks that go off and can be ignored
for modern medicine
for health insurance
for a wonderful family physician
for Pandora.com as I write this
for the opportunity to write another list anytime I want to.

3 comments:

wenders said...

wow. i am not ready to share my list of 100, but i did indeed write one out yesterday. i love love love that we both did this exercise (and rest assured that you are indeed on my list too, lovely mama).

Anonymous said...

I found that inspiring, thoughtful and funny!
Many thanks for sharing many thanks with us!
Tom Maloney

Barbara said...

I'm a 100-lister too. When I work with incarcerated teenagers I sometimes ask them to list 100 simple pleasures that are safe and legal.