Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash
Thanksgiving is a great day to reflect on why we are thankful. Actually, we should be thankful every day for all the blessings we have been given.
As a man with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), I have found myself paying more attention to the disease I fight daily than being thankful for what I have been blessed with. Which isn’t good for me to do. There is more to me and in my life than the constant battle with CMT.
With that in mind, I started many years ago trying to focus on what I have to be thankful for and concentrating on that. Before I was married, God blessed me with a few great friends, a girlfriend who genuinely cared about me, a church family, a condominium to live in, a career, and a safe car to get me to and from work and wherever else I needed to go.
I met a beautiful lady who loved me and I loved her so we made it official by getting married. God has blessed us throughout the years recently celebrating twenty-five years of marriage. She has been a tremendous help to me as I go through the “fun” of CMT. God has shown me the blessing of enjoying His Creation through hikes on nature trails, seeing the beauty of sunrises and sunsets, and working in my wildlife garden. I have been blessed to see the unconditional love of my dogs and cats throughout the years too.
Blessings and reasons to be thankful aren’t always “things.” Though there isn’t anything wrong with being thankful for those, it can be something as simple as seeing a beautiful bird or flower or hearing your favorite song on the radio.
Developing a “thankful” mindset helps me as I go through the many challenges of CMT. This post points out a few ways I practice thankfulness throughout my life.
May you have a blessed Thanksgiving!