Sixty Five Reasons to be Grateful

It is my birthday tomorrow and I will be old enough for the aged pension. I have written a list of sixty five things for which I am thankful

1. My Husband – I have been truly blessed to be married to Terry for the last (almost) 45 years. We started going out when I was just 16 and I could not imagine my life without him. 2. My 4 children – we have four kids who have all grown into four very independent adults each one very different from the other but I love and cherish each one equally
5. My 8 grandchildren – ranging in age from 20 – 3 (six girls and 2 boys) each one has brought love and light and happiness to our family
14. My great grand daughter – what can I say about this little poppet. She was born 13 weeks too early but is now a 2 and 1/2 year old pocket rocket
15. My parents – my Dad never left me in any doubt that he was proud of me and ended every conversation, when I was leaving with “I love you Sis”. I miss him. Mum is 91 and still with us. She always puts her family first and is an inspiration to many.
16. My siblings – an older brother and three younger sisters. Many memories of happy times shared
17. My friends – both old, new and those I have not met. I am still friends with kids I started primary school with, some I went to high school with, some I worked with, the wife of an old boyfriend and many I have met along the journey.
18. Laughter – I could not image what life would be like if we did not have the ability to laugh. I have the unfortunate tendency to laugh at inappropriate times and this has almost been my undoing on several occasions.
19. Books – no explanation needed here. I even love the smell of books
20. Sunshine – the world is a brighter place when the sun is shining and my mood is more positive when the sun is shining
21. The Internet – It is a great source of knowledge and information. The net also allows me to maintain contact, in my current situation, with the outside world.
22. Living in Australia – no explanation necessary
23 Eyesight – allows me to read lol
24. My Pain Specialist – when I was first diagnosed I had some rather unfortunate experiences consulting Pain Specialists however have been blessed to find Professor Cousins.
25. Modern medicine – while it has not been able to cure CRPS I often wonder what it would be like to live with this condition in the early part of last century.
26. My Home
27. The ability to read – see no. 19
28. My dog – Cedric, the super dog who came from dog rescue
29. Opportunities – I have been blessed to have many opportunities both personally and professionally and these have enriched my life
30. My green chair – I have a wonderful chair which reclines and this is my saviour on nights when I can’t sleep
31. Comfortable shoes – Many of you would know that I love shoes. I am grateful for comfortable ones because that is all I can wear these days.
32. Track pants – comfort and some style
33. Cryptic crosswords – I can loose myself of a long time in a cryptic
34. Cousins – these are the friends we have in childhood and I am blessed to have reconnected with many in adulthood
35. A good cry – ( as opposed to a bad cry) there is nothing as cathartic as having a good cry and letting it all out
36 Sleep – I love it when I can get it
37. Handwritten mail – I love to receive a handwritten letter
38. Finding others with CRPS – since our appearance on Insight (SBS) many who have CRPS have connected me and this has made the journey somewhat more bearable
39. Lake Macquarie – we live five minutes walk from the lake and ten minutes drive from the beach
40. Colour – life would be very boring without it
41. Flowers – bring me great happiness
42. Libraries – One of my favourite places to go (when I am mobile enough) …..I can loose myself in the library and spend untold time there.
43. Music – I have very eclectic taste in music and music often soothes my thoughts
44. Acts of kindness – these remind me that people can be good for the sake of goodness
45. The gift of voice – to be able to sing, talk, communicate, whisper sweet nothings and have a chat. Those that know me well know I love a chat.
46. Second chances – imagine if everything we did had no hope of a “try again.”
47. Glasses – many things I do every day, reading, writing, watching tele would be impossible without my glasses
48. Birthdays
49. Pianola – some years ago I came into some unexpected cash so purchased a pianola. I just love it. Little kids are fascinated by it. Great for sing a longs
50. Encouragement – so many people have supported me in my life and endeavours and without them things may have been very different
51. Hope – sometimes it is hard to find but it is always in the background
52. Honesty – always the best policy
53. Films – there is nothing like a film that leaves you feeling moved, happy or sad
54. Now – it is wonderful to live in the moment because the only time we have is now
55. Joy – is all around we just have to look for it but often we are blind to it
56. Strength – I am no longer physically strong but I am thankful for my internal strength
57. Memories – good ones, even the bad ones have a place in making me who I am
58. Chocolate – how could you get through life without it
59. Clean sheets -we are lucky enough to have a cleaner who comes in on a Tuesday. One of her tasks is to change the sheets and getting into bed on Tuesday night is a comforting experience.
60. Family history – knowing where I fit and my place in the scheme of the family is an important aspect of who I am.
61. the number 4 – has always been important. Both houses we have owned are number 4.
62. Hair – I have always been blessed with thick hair
63. the Ocean – childhood memories and the smell of salt
64. Having CRPS – has taught me much
65. Wisdom that comes with age – This is one of the joys of turning 65