Thanksgiving – Isaiah Jacobs

Happy Thanksgiving!

Every November, I seem to subconsciously begin thinking about what I am thankful for and why. I guess the leaves falling and the colors changing with the cooler weather spur my thoughts toward being thankful. This year is no exception, especially since 2023 has been a bit of a rough and challenging year.

The year has been a bit rough, with some physical challenges along the way. I am planning to write separate posts about this, so I won’t go into too much detail now. However, I will say that it seems to me that I needed to go through those rough challenges to get to the point where I am now, which is feeling better than I ever have. For that, I am very thankful.

At the beginning of November, an announcer on the local Christian radio station, WPER 89.9 FM suggested writing down one thing you are thankful for every day in November. It doesn’t have to be detailed or something big, just write something down. Though I didn’t make a list on paper, it reminded me to think about it every day. And, why not continue writing down what you are thankful for every day whether it’s November or Thanksgiving or not?

This year, my Thanksgiving celebration will be our 2nd Annual in a new tradition that started last year after our last family member passed away. We’ll head to the Shenandoah National Park’s Skyland Restaurant for our meal. This year, we will be blessed to have two friends join us. One of them came with us last year and we hope to make this a “family” tradition for the three of us. The other friend, who I hope will join us again, is my best friend who was my roommate during college. We’ve had a great week together exploring the area and will celebrate Thanksgiving too.

However you celebrate the day, I pray you have a blessed one.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving brings to mind many things in life for which I am thankful. Although I try to remember to be thankful every day, it’s good to have a day to focus on it.

I am very thankful for God and His Love for me. Ever since I became a Christian many years ago, I have seen God’s Work in my life in every situation even at times when I wouldn’t think He would do so. I am thankful that His Gift of Salvation that guarantees me, and everyone else who believes, eternal life in heaven.

I am thankful for my wife of twenty-six years. She has been an awesome help with my Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) battles and a wonderful companion to spend life with. Only God could prepare a woman like her to be the right companion for me.

I am thankful for my dog, Abby, and my cat, Samson. Abby is a young black labrador retriever who keeps me going. As I will share more details in another post, having a dog to care for every day has helped me to be successful in staying a step ahead of CMT. My cat has had his role too. Many evenings when I head to bed, my cat will curl up on my shoulder and purr. Somehow, he seems to know when I need some extra purrings and goes into an amazing-sounding purr mode. It usually helps me to relax.

Today, at 59-1/2 years old, I am thankful to be alive, walking, and enjoying life. The original diagnosis of CMT, lead me to believe that things could be very different at this age. In some ways, it is, but God has blessed me to keep going forward in life. For that I am thankful.

However you are celebrating today, remember to be thankful for the many blessings in your life. Take the time to enjoy family and friends too. They are the most important aspects of your life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Give Thanks!”
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!

Happy Thanksgiving! Be Thankful!

This year, 2020, has been a very rough year for many people. However, despite some of its challenges, there can be some positive things if you look for them. I have had a rough year too, but I focused on the positive. Here are a few thoughts.

While my Service Dog passed away this past summer season. He was my bestest friend going everywhere with me. He helped me tremendously with the many challenges of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT). After quite a bit of researching, searching, looking, meeting and greeting, applying to adopt, I have been able to find another dog who will keep me company, take me for long walks, and be the “dog happiness” in my life that only a dog can provide. Eventually, she will be able to help me with my health struggles. I will share more about that later. It is an example though of something positive this year.

Another positive to be thankful for this year is for my wife and her health. She has had some serious health problems in 2020. I am thankful for her positive attitude during the doctor’s visits and subsequent treatments. She has a faith in God which truly was shown throughout her struggles. Also, I am extremely thankful that her treatments were done close to home without any trips to a major city. My concern is my challenges with driving and having to take her to the city. Though I would have done it, I am thankful I only had to do it once.

During the medical treatments for my wife. our church family and a few friends helped make the situation so much easier by being there for her and one family took to us to dinner just before each treatment. It’s one of those PRICELESS things for which I am thankful. Each time, they brought a smile to my wife’s face. For that, I am thankful.

Yes, 2020 has been very challenging. It seems that every day brought new frustrations. BUT, as I said, look for the positive! It might take a few minutes to find it but you will.

“May you have a blessed Thanksgiving
with your family and friends!
God Bless!“