Last night I watched the local news, and saw something miraculous – every single story was positive. The news was filled with groups donating food to those in need, Thanksgiving drives held by local organizations, individuals giving of their time, money, resources to help others. It was the only time I can remember, and certainly in recent history, that there was not one negative, sad, alarming, concerning news story. (There were plenty in the national news, but let’s not focus on that for a moment). It was all about giving. And this, for that half hour, filled me with hope. Because it proved to me that good still is all around us. It may at times be tougher to find. We may need to look deeper, to squint a bit to see it through to jumble of negativity, but it’s there.

And so, I wanted to give thanks for some pieces of my life that I feel most grateful for.

• My husband
• My family
• My closest friends who have been with me through everything
• My dog Grace
• Having had 10.5 happy years with my old dog Cinn before she passed.
• A home, that I own.
• Plenty of food
• The means and opportunity to travel often
• My creativity and imagination
• My dreams and my ability to maintain hope (if sometimes only a sliver of it) even in the darkest times
• A strong mental health and chronic illness support network
• My therapist and my meds (completely serious)
• Having health insurance, without which my meds would bankrupt me (really).
• The many experiences in my past and present that have made me who I am today.