As Thanksgiving draws near I find myself overwhelmed by blessings. Like most others I see this as an opportunity to be mindful of the "things" (actually PEOPLE) that mean so much to me. Of course my children, my family, and my friends bring me cause for gratitude, but this year is different. This year has been a year of even greater blessings, and sometimes I feel as if I could burst with excitement, joy, and even a bit of disbelief. This year my life saw a painful and challenging chapter come to a close, while a new and beautiful chapter began. This year I met the true love of my life! Who would have known that as I prayed for God's direction and plan to unfold on New Year's Day that eight days later He would bring me the man who is my soulmate and partner for life?! Those who have seen the details of my life know full well how awesome this has been. It has been like being upgraded from coach to first class, and it still amazes me.
A couple of years ago my world came crashing down, and with it my heart was broken. During the excruciating process of watching my marriage fall apart, and struggling through all the hurts involved, I kept a couple of good friends close. One of these girls had also suffered an unwanted divorce, and was somewhat of a mentor to me. She prayed with me, gave me reasons to smile, and even tried to spread a little hope for the future. One day while telling me about how she gives herself "high fives" now after encounters with her ex husband, we laughed ourselves silly. It wasn't until later when some of my pain started to subside that I really began to understand the significance of that silliness. To her it was a way to say "thanks" for freedom from the pain brought to her by her ex. During this same time in my life I had another good friend try to tell me through my tears that this might just be a blessing in disguise (meaning my husband's desire to end the marriage). Although I couldn't then see how this disaster could be a blessing, we now talk regularly about how right she was. And so now that my life has come full circle, and I have found freedom from the past, along with healing and happiness, I regularly give myself high fives. Yes as crazy as it might sound, I take the example of my fellow 30-something divorcee friend, and often throw my right hand up in the air and slap it down to meet the left hand. Sometimes when I can't physically give myself a high five (like when I am driving, or smiling and nodding while my ex goes on about something that we need to discuss), I just do a mental high five and make note of the way my heart feels filled with love and gratitude.
And so this Thanksgiving I will raise my glass of cheap red wine, and knock glasses with MY Stephen, and those two little faces that make me proud to wear the title "Mom" and say, "Thank you God," and afterwards when no one is looking I just might slap my hands together in the air, smile and know that I have been blessed!
