Thankful

Although I am not American, I did marry one, which means that every November we celebrate or at least acknowledge Thanksgiving. When we lived in the States, we did so with his family. (We won’t talk about the year I was uninvited to Thanksgiving. Not that I’m still bitter or anything.) Since moving abroad, Thanksgiving has become about celebrating our new family. The family of Hubby and I and our friends who help make each port feel more like home.

This year, we celebrated the Great Turkey a few days early with our friends Black Beard and Adelpha. Being the good expats we are, we ordered the whole meal from turkey and stuffing to veggies and pie fully prepared from a local hotel. That afternoon, we gorged ourselves on a giant, perfectly cooked bird and enjoyed the camaraderie and security of friendship over several bottles of wine, a viewing of Zombieland, and a few games of Wii Sports Resort.

Thanksgiving in Canada is pretty much a bank holiday. We do the turkey thing but it isn’t quite the BIG DEAL it is to Americans. I have always wanted to be a part of those Thanksgivings on television where the family goes around one by one to say what they are thankful for. Since we were slightly too inebriated on Saturday to do so, I thought I would share my thanks with you guys instead.

I am thankful for my family at home in Canada who never let me get too big for my britches.

I am thankful for this blog and all of my Devoted Readers for keeping me sane and happy. You have no idea how much you all mean to me.

I am thankful for the wonderful friends I have made all over the world. Leaving a new place is always harder because of you.

I am thankful for not only meeting Adelpha but also having her live just three floors down. No one understands the joys of living with a work crazed Doctor Cheapo quite as well as you. Sanity, thy name is Adelpha.

I am very thankful for being able to live the expat lifestyle. I know that I often come across as a bit of a brat in this blog but I really do appreciate how lucky I am.

I am thankful for my health. I have seen up close what a life without the comforts I take for granted is like. I have never had to rummage through the trash to feed myself, or huddle under a cardboard roof to keep myself dry at night. Poverty is a word I simply didn’t understand or appreciate fully until I lived in the developing world. I am thankful for that knowledge and the ability to help change the lives of people who are not as fortunate as I.

I am thankful for my wonderful husband who never forgets to point out my annual zit or tease me about my foibles. When I keep the reading light on until three in the morning on nights he as to be up at five, Hubby never pouts complains too loudly. And when I’m at my lowest, he always brings me back up with a hug, a funny song, a chuckle at my expense, and encouragement to always follow my dreams.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Thursday. Happy life.