This Thanksgiving: I Am Thankful
I Am Thankful
For Faith
For Life
For Purpose
For Love
For Strength
For Courage
This Thanksgiving, I look back onto a year filled with ups and downs, pain and suffering, new realizations, fears, and vulnerabilities. I am more grateful for life than I ever have been before. I realize how fragile our own being is. I realize how much I need God in my life every moment of every day; and that His plan is greater than our own. I realize how much I rely on my husband as my best friend, my confidant, and my sense of security.
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my renewed sense of strength. When I felt completely alone, I wholeheartedly accepted my faith. When I felt that my world was falling apart in front of my eyes, I turned to the teachings of Louise L. Hay; and through her teachings, I transformed my eyes through positive thinking and affirmations. When I didn’t know who I was, I realized I was perfect just as I was, in the eyes of God.
This Thanksgiving, I feel incredibly blessed for the lessons that I have learned. I am especially grateful for my marriage, which has prevailed and grown through faith, mutual effort, and unconditional agape love.
To My Reader:
What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?
This year I am thankful to have married the most wonderful, kind, gentle, comassionate man in the world. I have not opened a car door since our first date. We’ve had our ups and down this first year of marriage (mostly ups). But is has been through the tough spots I’ve finally faced just how much insecurity has run rampant in my life.
They say the other side of fear is faith. Well, in Gary, God has delivered unto me a man I truly trust with all those “secret fears” the world was never allowed to see; but which always made me feel inadequate, built up thick walls I let no one pass, and kept me alone in the crowd. My faith continues to grow each day.
I have spent so much of the past 30 years questioning “Why” so many terrible things happened in my life, when all the time I never once questioned “What” was I going to do with these experiences so that some good would come from tragedy, trials and tribulations. The questioning has finally changed to the “What” since the “Why” is a one that certainly won’t change anything and, in all reality may never be answed.
For the first time in life (and a quite accomplished life it was up until my accident with spinal and brain injuries almost 12 years ago) I actually feel accomplished. For I have come to not only undertand, but truly believe, accomplishment in life has nothing to do with career success, or accolades from the outside world. True accomplishment internal; it is between me and God. Because of that realization; I will never again have an ungrateful day. (Can’t promise not an ungrateful thoughts or minute; as not only as I human, I live with a daily pain level that sometimes becomes overwhelming and brings me once face to face with the most useless emotion of them all — anger). I will not spend another day locked in the prison of self absorption and pity. For it is this past that has brought me to where I am today and even on days like today when nothing seems to go right and I drop or knock down everything I touch; that fact alone makes me grateful.
Thank you for sharing. Not to many people in your position are so gracious. Your article was very poignant and understandable. It helped me to understand very clearly. Thank you for your help.
Dr. Nicole, you amaze me. I have had a ………………..challenging year to say the least. The death of my Mom, my husband, estrangement from my brother and father, and the loss of other dear friends. Despite all that, I AM grateful and thankful for a village of friends, that I didn’t know I had, or was coming, however God knew. HE knew my pain, heartache, grief, trauma. HE always knows…………HE is always with us, each moment. This Thanksgiving is unlike any other. It used to be my favorite holiday, however so much has changed, its more a time for reflection, and simply being grateful to still be here, have love in my life, and knowing somehow, some way Larry is so much better off than he was here. Huntington’s disease is so brutal, horrendous, and leaves such collateral damage. There are many still fighting, and I am praying for a cure. The wounds I carry are deep, soul wounds, and I know it takes time. I stand on my faith, like you. I simply have no choice. I can’t do this alone. Its a moment to moment battle, and there are many others who are suffering worse than I am…………..I have clean water to drink, food everyday, a home, love from friends, so so health, and my fur baby is healthy. I pray daily for your continued good health, and that of your family. YOU are impacting the world in so many ways my friend, certainly mine. Thank you doesn’t say enough, however keep doing what you are doing, please. We need your hard earned wisdom, and friendship, love. Your family is growing, and you have so much love in your life. I’m so proud of you, and so honored to call you my friend. May God always bless you, your family, and may you always know joy, peace, happiness, and good health. Gentle hugs my friend, a million of them.