This was an unusual Thanksgiving week for me in many ways. It started with a pre-Thanksgiving trip to Atlanta to attend two conferences and visit with a dear cousin and his wife whom I haven’t seen for almost ten years. Thanksgiving Day was spent with neighborhood friends who invited us knowing we would not be spending the day as we usually do with our relatives. The day after Thanksgiving we spent visiting with relatives and their newlywed son and daughter-in-law. The week-long festivities gave me a lot of time to think about what I feel thankful for this year and hopeful about for the year to come.
I am thankful for my immediate family members whom I love for always “being there” for me…
…I am hopeful that each of them will experience a productive, mostly joyful and fulfilling year ahead.
I am thankful for being pronounced “cancer free” following a serious bout with cancer exactly two years ago…
…I am hopeful that my luck will continue and I will be able to enjoy my renewed health for a good while.
I am thankful for this blog site which I joined soon after my cancer recovery and which opened a door to a new passion…
…I am hopeful that I will be able to continue to interact with my fellow bloggers for another year.
I am thankful for the gift of writing I have newly come to embrace after years of doubting my writing ability…
…I am hopeful I will continue to grow as a writer and that I will continue to learn from the other writers on this site.
I am thankful for old friends who have continued to sustain me throughout my life and whom I love in return…
…I am hopeful I will be able to be there for them in their times of need and I look forward to making new friends in the years ahead.
I am thankful for all those who continue to feel that acceptance of diversity is necessary for our country to remain strong and united…
…I am hopeful that a project I am working on will lead to enabling a group of diverse students feel they, too, have a voice in our nation.
I am thankful for all those who continue to struggle for the health of our environment including my son and daughter-in-law who “stood up against the Dakota pipeline by sitting down” at last week’s demonstration in NYC…
…I am hopeful that their voices and those of others who care about the environment will be heard and honored.
I am thankful that I have had such a rich and fulfilling (although often very challenging) life…
…I am hopeful that in the years ahead I will have new adventures and many more reasons to celebrate life.
I am thankful this year’s election is over…
…I am hopeful we can all get on with our lives and continue to fight (passionately but peacefully) for what we believe in and feel we can still make a difference.
Thanks to all the Slicers who have made Tuesday such an important day in my life…
…I am hopeful I will be able to continue to Slice with you as long as we all share the passion to keep doing so.
Fun way to frame your slice! I’m thankful that you’re part of our community and hopeful that you’ll continue writing with us for years to come.
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Love your reply! Thanks. I plan to stay on as long as possible…
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i love your wonderful list of things you are thankful for! I am also grateful for you being cancer free! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!
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I am thankful for each and every one of you who take the time to both read AND respond to me!
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🙂
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You have shared such a nice list, Barbara. It’s a great way to get thinking about the new year upon us. I’m sure you could of kept going! I like the structure of your slice too.
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Glad you like the format. I find that when I am not sure what to write about, that “inventing” a structure often helps. And most Slicers seem to enjoy such posts which are easy for them to read.
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I love how you structured this! It was beautiful to read. You are a very special person!!
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It takes one to know one! I always think of you when I write a post. You are my “audience” for authenticity.
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I am thankful to you for sending your thankfulness out into the world and helping to change the vibe of the world for the good.
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I appreciate your reception of my ideas throughout the year, and your encouragement. I liked the words “helping to change the vibe of the world for the good.” As senior Slicers, I think we both appreciate the value of such work as a legacy.
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I love clicking each Tuesday morning and seeing your Slice in the #1 position. 🙂 So glad to be in this community with you and bravo to your courage, Barbara.
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Ha! You made me laugh! Believe it or not, I am not trying to be first…I am just always up late and find it easier to post before I go to bed than to get up early. I no longer work, so sleeping in is a gift to myself. I also find that I get many more comments if I post earlier and that, of course, encourages me to keep posting early if at all possible. Thanks for noticing!
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It’s wonderful to see your list and the way you shared, Barbara, so many things that I echo in my life. I’m glad you’re here in our community, too.
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Lovely to hear from you. From reading your posts, I am sure we share many of the same experiences and concerns. This was one of those posts that just evolved as I wrote it. Once I thought up the format, the rest just flowed.
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I really like the thankful/hopeful format. What a great list. I, too, am thankful for this community. I look forward to your posts each week.
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As I like forward to yours…. The format just came to me in a flash when I sat down to write. You know what they say: Necessity is the mother of invention! Happy to be in this community with you.
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To be filled with thanks, hope, and joy – that’s a great Thanksgiving!
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It was indeed, especially following such a letdown with the election. Politics will always be politics, but the people in our lives and how we live our lives as individuals is more important and more lasting.
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