Day Twenty-one: 11/26/2020 A season of gratitude

Day 21:  We woke up at 6:30am, our first day without Ming.   On this morning I was going through a box of dog toys/supplies and found his baby collar.  This was a comfort and I am saving it because a bought a black stuffed dog that should arrive today that will get to wear this. 

A quiet morning but sweet time with the other three boys.  I got chores done and asked Jeremy when we should start making our Thanksgiving meal.  He was open to anything.  After about an hour he asked if I had decided, I looked over and said - well I'm hungry now.  So off I went to start cooking probably a little past 9:30am.  We were eating by 11:00am and boy was it tasty!  The rest of the day was folding cranes, doing my new stickers by numbers workbook, playing with the dogs, playing games, checking in with family and a couple of friends, and watching shows.  Night time was hard, right before Ming's bed time routine the tears just started flowing.  I'm thankful I got a good night's sleep.  Here is a list of what I am grateful for this year (I am sure I will miss something):

1. Jeremy & my boys, so blessed to call them my family.

2. Family & friends near and far.  Too many are too far but I hold them closely in my heart.  Always.  Too many have passed, their love surrounds me.

3. My private practice: It has done so well so quickly, I'm blessed.

4. My health: the few ailments I have like poor vision, exercise induced asthma, year round allergies, and some joints that are more painful in my older age do not keep me from doing the things I love.

5. Our home: Fortunate to have bought my home in my 20s, I have never been without a roof over my head.

6. My 1000 paper crane project: such a fun and contemplative project, not like anything I have ever done.

7. Good food: the meal we cooked was scrumptious.  So thankful I have never gone hungry from lack of food.

8. Taekwondo: I can't wait until I can go back to the dojang!

9. Soccer: I really miss soccer, I just can't bring myself to play indoor masked.  So hard to breath already with asthma.  Miss my soccer friends too!

10.  Running vehicles we fully own

11. Mail: I love getting mail, I also love sending mail. If you need any gift ideas just send me some mail.  (No, not your junk mail! LOL)

12. Creativity: this year it has included diamond painting, stickers by numbers, photography, writing

13. My education: Have wonderful memories of my college and graduate college experiences that have forever changed my life and I've met the most wonderful people because of this as well as I have the career I dreamed of.

14. My middle school best friend's positive cancer news, there is no active cancer.  With her stage 4 diagnosis she'll be receiving lifelong treatment unless one of you geniuses out there creates a cure. I'm also grateful to all my friends and family who have supported her financially through GoFundMe, with raffle items, or donating cans that I will continue to return on her behalf.

15. Zoey, the daughter of Amber, who I mentioned above.  She has gone through a series of tough knocks including the death of two of their dogs and she's managed to keep working and has gone back to school.  If I had a daughter, I'd want her to be a lot like Zoey (I call her my half daughter).

16. Books and journals because I love love love to read and write.  

17. All the animals I have loved in my life time.  I grew up with a father that dearly loved animals so we had goldfish, Koi, African cichlids, turtles, tortoises, dogs, cats, parakeets, finches, parrot, iguanas, chameleons, guinea pigs, snakes, and frogs.

18. Hazelnut coffee, this year I bought myself a coffee maker and I enjoy one cup of coffee almost every morning! 

19. ColorStreet, my friend Jessica introduced me to these this summer.  I've had so much fun with my nails sense and she does a lot of interactive games, surveys, etc that are an added bonus.

20. Games, I love board games and card games.  Right now I am playing Animal Crossing daily. 

21. Hope: it provides me with a reason to wake up every day.  Hope that a vaccine is available within the next year, that there be less political strife and more hard and necessary work to heal a grieving nation.   

By the end of the day I had folded 18 paper cranes.  (697/1000)