Thankful Thursday

So much to be thankful for today -

* fresh pineapple

* that newborn baby smell

* access to great medical care

* before administering my flu shot and a pneumonia vaccination, my general practitioner said, "God is your healer and you are already healed. You just have to walk through these steps to get there."

* seeing this image in the conference room of the surgeon's office

* all clear results of the bone scan and ct scan

* a chiropractor who will work with me to rebuild my immune system after all this kanser (intentional misspelling here - I hate this word!) crap is behind me

* a newly acquired wardrobe of fun and funky hats

* decaf peppermint green tea

* teaching myself to drink tea without sugar

* an awesome book I'm reading called Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips

* photos sent via text

* benadryl on nights when I can't sleep well

* whole grain toast with butter, real butter

* fleece slippers and a heavy robe on cool autumn evenings

* dumping the water out of the dehumidifier and knowing that our house is a little less sticky

* feeling no guilt for watching Law and Order, NCIS, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta marathons

* facebook status changes, photos of friends, and funny videos posted online

* how much my little dog likes me to chase her

* homemade soups, especially the kinds I can make in less than an hour

* finishing up the class I was teaching at my church, "Religion and Joy" (Why don't those two words often occur in the same sentence? What steals our joy? How do religion and religious communitues often steal our joy? How can our faith practices restore our joy? How can we be people who are known for our joy? Stuff like that. It was a three class series.)

* recognizing that I couldn't stop teaching because of my diagnosis - after all, what is the point of "religion and joy" or faith and joy if I'm not living them out during the tough times?

* the people who came to the class, asked challenging questions, and participated in dialogue and discussion

* the outpouring of love, emails, texts, cards, letters, and goodies that my friends have lavished on me in the past two weeks

* a daughter who is also a gifted photographer

* being seen - scars, stretch marks, chipped finger nails, kanser and all

* being remembered

* being loved