Remember to Be Thankful

If you’re anything like me, you’re often so wound up in your caretaker role that stopping to be thankful is generally pretty far from your mind. You can just get so darn busy keeping it all together and you are frequently so overwhelmed by the feelings of frustration and loss that you may find it hard to feel anything else.

But then, in the middle of a particularly busy and frustrating day, when you may be feeling hopeless and pretty much helpless, the realization can hit and you will recognize that you actually have many things to be thankful for.

Yes, I said THANKFUL!

Even though my life had changed dramatically with my husband’s Alzheimer’s, I found I could be THANKFUL that he was still there with me. I could see him, talk to him, touch him, kiss him, hug him and help him when he was unable to do things for himself.

And I was THANKFUL for my health and resillence; THANKFUL for the home we had lived in and loved for over 30 years and THANKFUL for the love and laughter we had shared.

So now, here we are almost three years after my discovery that I could still be thankful even in the middle of so much heartache and change.

My husband passed away two and a half years ago and once again my life changed. I am still adjusting to life without him; adjusting to being alone; adjusting to missing him, his bigness, and the zest for life that so defined him. So yes, I still have challenges and I sometimes question why he was afflicted with that terrible disease and why he died.

But today, just a few days away from the celebration of Thanksgiving, I am able to say that I am THANKFUL. I realized that I should not be lamenting about all that I had lost when he died; I should not be focused on my sadness and I should not be regretting the coming years without him. Instead I am THANKFUL for the years we had together!

So if you are reading this I hope you will be able to pull yourself away from your busyness, your frustrations, your anger, your tiredness, your loneliness and the feelings of being abandoned and that you can recognize all the things you have to be Thankful for this holiday season.

Be strong and know that you are loved! Find your Thankfulness