as i head back to chemo today and prepare for another week of feeling green, i want to acknowledge thanksgiving a bit early.
it is my favorite holiday and always has been. why? it's not overcome with the frenzy of gifts. it's not (completely) over-commercialized. but, mostly because it's an entire day dedicated to gratitude and family. on this thanksgiving, my usual list of things to be thankful for has gotten a whole lot longer. where to start... my life? absolutely. my amazing family and friends? no doubt!
this thanksgiving, i'm grateful to have treatment options; so many people don't. i'm grateful to be beating this disease; so many people aren't. i've been fortunate to tie into a community of twenty-somethings battling cancer. many, like me, maintain blogs. many are fighting battles infinitely harder than mine. over the past few months i've seen more than one blog grow silent, only to be updated by a parent or sibling who posts the somber news that cancer won... and a young person closed the book on their life long before they hoped to. for these people, i will appreciate every moment of life that much more; i assure you that they would have.
i am especially grateful for you, my family and friends, this thanksgiving. for you are the people who teach me to love, laugh, learn, listen... and these, i believe, are the greatest survival skills of all.
a random assortment of little (and big) things i appreciate every day:
family. laughter. equality. the ocean. the spirit of america (and those who defend it). good music with better lyrics. photographs. appropriately-placed apostrophes. efficiency. excellence. a solid handshake. people who care about people. insightful idioms. integrity. teachers. tolerance. life!
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7 comments:
We are all so thankful that you are here with us. You are an inspiration. I love you!
Go get 'em today Julie!!
Well said, Jules!! Even though your words got me a little choked up here at work... :)
I thank you for being you! Keep fighting!
-Paul
great post jules. thanks for the reminder on all that we have to be thankful for :) from little to big!!
Julie, Thanksgiving is definitely a time of gratitude. You have taught me so much about the human spirit, you are a gift! I am grateful to be a small part of your support during this rough road your journey of life has been forced to take. "May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand" I hope to see you soon. Maybe after this week we can plan a date. Love you Julie and hello to Peter! xo j
Julia, you are so uplifting! I am grateful you are in my life too. Such dear friends are a rare find :) And, I appreciated your comment about appropriately-placed apostrophes. I'm thankful for those too - especially in the word y'all. Y'all have a great thanksgiving!
Jules-you have written a beautiful blog on gratitude. I hope you decide some day to publish your thoughts so everyone can read about the loving, strong, caring, courageous person you are as you live your journey with cancer. love gene
Suddenly it makes sense again. In no haze of mindfulness, staring down at this snow-covered quilt of America, I am the stars exploding. Voice shot down to hell, half sick, half recovered, alive and well and ready. The unknown for now will remain as such and in this moment that feeling is not one of suspension. It is the hopeful unknown. Reaching into the future could only be good now as the past is wrapping itself in ribbons and pleasant packing paper, rarely to be revisited.
Keep reaching Jules.
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