Last year around this time, I wrote a post about being “Thankful for Enough”. In the post, I expressed my thankfulness for all I had in my life and that although I did not have an overabundance of things, I had blessings enough.

As Thanksgiving rolls around and the furor of Christmas is just beginning, I’m again thinking how thankful I am. This year it seems more poignant than ever, especially after the last couple of months, I’m truly thankful for my blessings. I think about all that I have and then I think about those friends of mine who have lost so much; June’s husband, Denise’s husband, Marsha’s husband, Debbie’s son, Debbie’s ex-husband, Karen’s husband, MaryAnne’s husband, Andrea’s dad.

I’ve lost a step-daughter and brother but I can’t imagine the depth of grief when you lose the person whom you spend your life with.  So even though I kind of like it when the Great Hunter goes hunting for a weekend, it’s comforting to know that he is coming back home to me, even if he annoys me with his constant “uh?…What?…What?.. What…did you say?…I didn’t hear you…I didn’t understand what you said…I have my hearing aids in…you didn’t tell me that.”

We ate Thanksgiving at home this year surrounded by most of my children and grandchildren sans my youngest and his wife who are trekking out to California to see her family. The Great Hunter’s children had other plans and so were missed from our festivities (not really, we don’t do “festivities”, we just eat).

Now as December rolls around, I am in full Christmas prep mode. I don’t have any decorations up yet, my Christmas shopping has just begun (soon there will be a continuing parade of delivery trucks driving down my street) and I don’t do any Christmas baking. I try not to stress out about everything that I need to do to prepare for that one day of the year. I know that some of my stress is self-induced as I refuse to take the easy way out and give money or gift cards and not only do I buy one present, I buy multiple for each child, grandchild and in-law. My fault I know, but it’s something I’ve always done and as long as I can do it, I probably will.