WHAT YOUR THANKFUL FOR....

OK KIDDIES...       ITS THANKSGIVING WEEK OFFICALLY NOW AND I WANT YALL TO HUMOR ME... IM IN A HALLMARK MOOD WITH AUNT FLO  RIGHT NOW AND FEEL VERY EMOTIONAL TODAY.. OR FOR THE MINUTE I DO LOL... WHO KNOWS FROM HR TO HR WITH ME LATELY LOL.. ANYWHO.... THOUGHT THE POST IS A GOOD TIME TO SAY JUST WHAT WE ARE THANKFUL FOR AS THE HOLIDAYS APPROACH.... SO HERE GOES MINE...  FIRST OFF AND MORE MOST MY FAMILY. THEY ARE ALL HEALTHY, AND HAPPY. NO NOT RICH, BUT MONEY DONT MAKE THE MAN ANYWAY HUH? WE ARE A CLOSE NIT FAMILY AND SO NO MATTER WHERE MY GIRLS LIVE... ONE IN TX AND ONE IN MS AND ONE HERE IN GA WE ARE CLOSE NO MATTER WHERE THE ROAD TAKES US... WE TAKE TIME OUT TO TALK EVERYDAY (USUALLY ALOT MORE LOL) AND THEY ARE HAPPY WITH THERE LIVES... SECOND OFF MY HUSBAND... I HAVE TO SAY I GOT THE PICK OF THE LITTER IN ALL TERMS LOL... HE IS THERE FOR ME TOTALLY THRU THICK AND THIN..LOL WE HAVE ALL INTENTIONS OF GROWING OLDER<< TOGETHER AND WATCHING THE KIDS LIVES CHANGE WILL I HOPE OURS STAYS BORING AND NORMAL LOL...COULDNT HAVE GOTTEN THIS FAR WLS TRAVELS WISE WITHOUT HIS SUPPORT... THIRD BLESSING WOULD BE MY TWIN LIVING IN BULLDAWG KOUNTRY BEING SO HAPPY WITH HER SECOND HUSBAND AND TOTALLY CONTENT IN LIFE.. SHE WAS MARRIED FOR LIKE 26YRS TO A PERSON THAT EVERYONE KNEW COULD HAVE TOTALLY BEEN BETTER FOR HER BUT AS THEY SAY UNTIL YOU GET ENOUGH NOONE CAN TELL YA... AND SO TODAY SHE SAYS SHE NEVER KNEW LIFE COULD BE LIKE THIS... SHES BEEN MARRIED NOW FOR A FEW YEARS AND WORKS AND COMES HOME AND JUST LOVES LIFE... NO DRAMA.... AND FOURTH I WOULD HAVE TO SAY TO BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT WE HAVE IN LIFE... MATERIAL THINGS HAVE NOT ALWAYS BEEN AROUND FOR ME WHEN WAS YOUNG. WE GREW UP VERY POOR WITH MY PARENTS DYING WHEN WAS SO YOUNG. LIVING IN FOSTER HOMES WAS NOT THE GREATEST AND SO TODAY THAT HAS MADE ME A STRONGER PERSON FOR SURE. NEVER COUNT YOUR BITTIES.. THEY CAN SO BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YA AND YOU JUST APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE IN LIFE... IM BLESSED WITH SO MUCH MORE THAN MY PARENTS HAD AND WANT THE SAME FOR MY KIDS.. TO BE HAPPY AND HEALTHY AND ENJOY LIFE AND NOT HAVE THE HARDSHIPS IVE SEEN. SO GUESS THATS ABOUT IT EXCEPT FOR ONE MORE.. TO LET YALL ALL KNOW JUST WHAT YOU MEAN TO ME... I KNOW I PROBABLY WILL NEVER MEET ALOT OF YOU OUT THERE IN CYBER WORLD BUT... NOT A DAY GOES BY THAT I DONT TELL ONE OF MY GIRLS... OH... I HAVE TO GET ON THE BOARD AND TELL BLAH BLAH THIS OR THAT.. ITS LIKE YALL ARE SUCH A PART OF MY LIFE EVEN THOUGH YOU CANT IMAGINE HOW THAT CAN BE WHEN JUST ON THE PUTER... BUT REMEMBER THIS... ALL OF YOU PLAY JUST AN IMPORTANT PART IN MY LIFE AND TAKING THIS TIME OUT TO LET YOU KNOW JUST HOW I APPRECIATE YALL IS IMPORTANT TO ME. THIS TRAVEL WOULD HAVE BEEN ALOT MORE DIFFICULT WITHOUT YALL FOR SURE... SO GUESS IM THRU WITH MY HALLMARK MOMENT FOR NOW LOL... HUGS MARGE

Hi, Marge.  Thanks for starting a great post about what we have to be thankful for.  I'm always open for a Hallmark moment - I'm sure my heart is made of jello, I'm such a softie.  Anyway, here goes -  I'm thankful for the strange and wonderful relationship I have with the two women I live with.  We've been together for almost 15 years now, which is longer than many marriages make it.  We are a unique family and I'm very blessed to have these women in my life.   I'm thankful for my great relationship with my parents, sisters, and their families.  We've been through some tough times - alcoholism, domestic abuse, etc. - but we slung snot, toughed it out, helped each other heal, and moved forward into a better, healthier life.  I have parents whose only advice to me has been "do what makes you happy."  It was great advice and it freed me to pursue my dreams without emotional baggage or fear of disappointing my folks.   I'm thankful to live in a country where I had the opportunity to get a great education, and where I can work in a field that's interesting and fulfilling.  Although America certainly doesn't have it all right, all the time, we have so much more than most folks in the world and I am truly grateful for that.  Reminds me that it's necessary to pay it forward, so others can achieve their full potential as well.   I'm thankful for my health.  For having great health insurance.  For being able to afford to eat like I'm supposed to.  For having access to a great gym at such a low cost.  For being able to run up and down the stairs 40 times a day.  For being able to get down on the floor and play with my cat.  For being able to fit in a theater seat, or an airline seat.  That you can teach an old dog new tricks in terms of eating healthy.  I'm thankful that I can afford to vacation in some fabulous places, and that I have fun people to travel with.   I could go on and on - oh wait, I've already done that...  And I'm thankful for my sense of humor, which helps me make it through the dark days...   Thanks for starting a great thread, Marge.  I look forward to seeing what others are thankful for -  Kellie

I'm going to start off with something my husband and I talked about being thankful for yesterday.  We met a man named Johnathon Alsehole yesterday and we decided we are very thankful that our name is not Alsehole, because we would have been picked on in school a lot more and would hate to be known as the Alseholes.  On a more serious note, I have a great deal to be thankful for every year, but especially this year.  I am thankful for the opportunity to have this surgery and to improve my life so dramatically.  This will open so many doors for me and improve my life in ways I can't yet anticipate or comprehend.  I am thankful for having such a close family, even though we don't always get along, we are incredibly close and always have been.  My mother is absolutely amazing, and I am incredibly lucky to be her daughter.  I am worried about my little brother, he's had a never ending string of health problems and more have cropped up.  I am thankful that he has someone like our mom to take care of him and fight for him like the mama bear she is.  (Oy Marge, I'm crying again!)  I am thankful for my boss, who has been beyond supportive and understanding of this WLS process and is so concerned for my health, welfare, and future.  I seriously feel like she deserves a better graduate student than I have been.  I've got to get my rear in gear and prove that she made the right choice when she picked me out instead of several more qualified candidates.  Finally I am thankful for my husband, who even though he drives me nuts, is my best best best friend and the funniest sweetest most generous man I've ever met.  He's had a really tough life and he's such an amazing person.  I want to make sure the rest of his life is so happy and fulfilling to make up for the rough start he had to endure.  Also, I love my kitties and I am thankful that sometimes they even seem to love me back.  There is a bond and a friendship that pets give you that is so special.. through thick and thin, no matter what you've done, they always love you.  You take care of them and they take care of you.  There's lots more, but eventually I do have to actually do some work this morning, so I'll leave it at that. 

Marge, Thanks for this thread to get us to counting our blessings, I think it is so important to remember. I am thankful that I could have the surgery and had NO complications and a good doctor. It has changed my life so I can hopefully, live longer and healthier to enjoy my family that I love and appreciate. Thankful that I have been able to return to the alternative high school to work with the teens 3 days a week. I enjoy it so much and I hope I am making a difference in their lives. My family and especially my hubby whom loved all 470 lbs I me before sugery. He is my soul mate !!! We have been married 37 1/2 years. I just feel THANKFUL this year for so many things !!!!! Pam

OK, where's the Kleenex?    Y'all have choked me up big time! Following Dunny's lead, I'll start with a humorous one -- I am thankful that when I lived in Oakland, I did not buy a condo on Athol Avenue!  I am thankful my grandparents had the courage to uproot their children from a tough but steady life in Scandinavia in order to seek a better life in America.  Had they not done so, I'd be living on a cheese farm in rural Denmark. I am thankful for my family.  We haven't always been close, but during my bout of bad health, they certainly came through for me, and I have a new found appreciation for all of them.  I am particularly thankful for my sister, who took me in when I needed a place to live and hasn't kicked me out now that I'm healthy!  I have it pretty good here for the nominal rent I pay her.  I'm thankful for Colorado, its majestic scenery, its friendly people, its love of animals, and its focus on healthy lifestyles.  Living here is easy (well, except for the few times we get 800 feet of snow in an hour). I'm thankful for all the folks at Kaiser Colorado who have helped me on my journey to good health.  My PCP, my WLS counselor, the WLS medical director, the WLS nurse manager, and my surgeon.  They are all my heroes.  I'm also thankful that Kaiser participates in the "Silver Sneakers" program through Medicare, which provides me free membership at my rec center. I'm thankful for the folks I see at the rec center, some of whom are in worse health than me, yet they still exercise every day as best they can.  I appreciate their fellowship and their determination to keep going helps keep me going, especially on the days I don't feel like doing squat. Like Kellie, I am thankful for the excellent education I received (giving a shout out here to Cal Berkeley and Maryland).  Bears and Terps rock! It goes without saying that I'm thankful for all of you.  We have a terrific group here, and you guys help keep me on track by kicking me in the backside when I need it, laughing at my stupid jokes, and cheering my every success, no matter how small.  Thank you! Love to all, Kix