Giving thanks/Holiday Roll Call

[Guest guest]

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I have a wonderful family with

two beautiful kids and a loving husband and an extended family I love. I

have my health. I was not seriously injured in my car accident. I could

afford to get another car. I have a job I love for the first time in my

life (I'm 45). I like Hawaii and have not been miserable here, but I get to

leave and see places NOT surrounded by water in 8 months. and I will

celebrate our 21st anniversary next month and he still likes me:))

(pleasingly plump and all). There is much more but this is a start.

Elaine

Giving thanks/Holiday Roll Call

> I thought I would start another thread, especially to get some of the new

> folks out here to respond. Remember to reply to all for your post to go

to

> the list (and be kind and delete all the others that are cc'd).

>

> What do you have to be thankful for this year?

>

> What traditions will you celebrate?

>

> Stuffing or Dressing? What kind?

>

> For all non USAer's, feel free to join in for a virtual thanksgiving

> celebration and share a traditional holiday your family celebrates this

time

> of year.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone!

This is such a great topic! I have so much to be thankful for, especially

this year! Of course the main thing our family is thankful for is that my

daughter continues to amaze her doctors and nurses! It's been almost a

year (December 3) since she relapsed with leukemia and she's doing great!

Most of the time you'd never know that she's sick - except for her beautiful

bald head! Even though we're in the doctor's office almost every day getting

chemo, blood or platelets, the year has FLOWN by! She'll be in treatment for

two years, so we're almost half-way done. That's really something to be

thankful for!

We're also thankful that our son is also doing well. He is 20 months younger

than (he's 6, 's 8). We've been dealing with 's leukemia for

over 4-1/2 years, so it's " normal " for to have in the hospital,

at the doctor's office, bald, stuck at home, etc., but I know that it's very

difficult for him. He's the sweetest, kindest, cutest little kid you'd ever

want to meet. He takes everything in stride, continues to thrive in all of

the craziness of 's treatment, and just gets more amazing every day. He

made a list of things that he's thankful for, and " having a nice sister " came

ahead of " my Gameboy Color, " " my Nintendo " and about 10 other

gameboy/nintendo stuff. " Having kind and loving parents " was WAY down on the

list! Just as it should be!

In a very personal (and selfish) moment of gratitude, I'm also extremely

thankful that my husband and my children are spending this week someplace in

North Carolina at a timeshare and I got to stay home for a much needed break!

It's difficult to not be with them, but gosh I'm enjoying NOT having to go

to the doctor's office, no medicines to give, no deadlines, and just being

able to leave the house if I want, and staying home if I want! I've actually

been able to meet some friends for dinner, lunch, a movie, Thanksgiving

dinner at a local restaurant yesterday, etc., so it's been wonderful.

Of course I'm thankful to my husband who makes my life much easier in

many ways, and I never give him credit for that! We've been married almost

21 years and just a few examples... I've been to the grocery store probably

less than 5 times, I've never put gas in my car unless I was on a trip by

myself, he's even doing the laundry now! He does much of the hard stuff with

's medical care; giving her medicines, holds her down while I give her

shots, changes the bandage for her central line, etc. He's a great dad and

keeps our family, our house and our cars running smoothly!

Also at the top of my list are my wonderful friends (including everyone on

this list) who are so understanding when they don't hear from me for months,

yet continue to call and leave messages and send emails to say hello. It's

great to turn on the computer at 3:00 am and find emails waiting with kind

thoughts, jokes, etc.

I thought I'd end this by telling you something I learned from this

year. She was in the hospital the entire month of December last year.

Several times every day, she and the other children would be given presents

from the many church groups, boy scout troops, companies, high school

students, airline pilots, dozens of santas, etc., that came to the hospital

to make it a happier time of year. We had 4 Santas that came to the ICU on

Christmas Eve, and usually no one gets into the ICU!

Anyway, now says every day, " Today's my birthday! " I'm guessing she

thinks everyday is her birthday because of the dozens of presents she got

last December. The nurses and the office staff at the doctor's office are

truly exceptional in every way, and we never could have survived the last

4-1/2 years without them. They hear, " Today's my birthday!! " dozens of times

every day, over and over, and every single nurse acts as if they've never

heard her say it before! They ask how old she is, they accept her invitation

to her party, pretend to eat cupcakes, sing Happy Birthday to her, and on and

on! And you should have seen everyone on her " real " birthday... they were

downright goofy with all that they did for her. There are dozens of little

kids that go to the doctor's office every day, and the nurses, doctors, the

play therapist, the woman who run the office all make every single child feel

as though that child is their very favorite person in the entire world. It's

quite amazing, but the doctor's office is not a sad place at all. Everyone

laughs, jokes, plays, teases, etc., and it's a very safe place for all of us

to let our guard down and just have fun. But we're never too far from what

our kids are going through, the kids that leave us for months at a time to go

to other hospitals around the country for radiation or bone marrow

transplants, or the kids that don't make it.

So we've decided that 's philosophy of celebrating her birthday everyday

is very appropriate, and a wonderful way for all of us to live our lives.

Living life as though every day is Thanksgiving would also be a wonderful way

to spend your life. Even on our very worst days, we all have many great

things to be thankful for, and remembering all of the wonderful things in our

lives is a great way to help us get through each day. So, I'm now at least

300 years old, and I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving (a day late!), a

happy holiday season, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY from !

Terri Kunze

Mom to and

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/21/00 11:10:27 AM Eastern Standard Time,

sharonrossi@... writes:

<< I'm

thankful my children wear seatbelts; did not, nor did her children,

only her husband. >>

You know, I and my children wear seatbelts ALL the time, it's a habit, I even

find myself buckling up to drive out of the garage, then unbuckling to get

out and shut the garage door. My husband really fights being buckled up and

we nag him constantly!

Two weeks ago here, three teens in a wreck, only one survived, the one who

was buckled up. The other two were thrown from the vehicle which then rolled

over them and crushed them to death.

In Virginia, you could not get a ticket for not being buckled unless they

stopped you for another reason and then noted you were not buckled up. I

heard the law has just changed and I received a call from a friend the other

day to tell me that in her travels she saw several cars of policemen sitting

at a light, watching everyone who came thru, no seat belt on, you were

ordered to pull over and you got a ticket! It may be fear of the cost of a

ticket is what it will take to make people pay attention but whatever it

takes to get the message across is ok with me!

Cheryl in VA

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/25/00 9:27:01 AM Central Standard Time,

wildwards@... writes:

> In Virginia, you could not get a ticket for not being buckled unless they

> stopped you for another reason and then noted you were not buckled up. I

> heard the law has just changed and I received a call from a friend the

other

>

> day to tell me that in her travels she saw several cars of policemen

sitting

>

> at a light, watching everyone who came thru, no seat belt on, you were

> ordered to pull over and you got a ticket! It may be fear of the cost of

a

> ticket is what it will take to make people pay attention but whatever it

> takes to get the message across is ok with me!

>

> Cheryl in VA

HI Cheryl

They started this in my county too My hubby refuses to wear one, really

gets my goat as he serves as an example for my kids uggggg Oh well I just

pick my battles

Ooh he did have a friend who was killed for being buckled in the friend

too was a big guy.

Kathy mom to Sara 8...............a seat belt wearer