This time of year it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. For the last decade or so I’ve worked in retail so this is always the busiest time of the year for me. I’m usually just glad and relieved to survive another crazy holiday season on the job. Heck, I’ve only had one Thanksgiving with my family in the last 10 years. That was the year my daughter was born so my wife didn’t go out of town to visit with her parents.
But it’s good to sometime pause and just be thankful for what you have in your life. As cliche as it sounds you really should do this. My new job isn’t going well and I’m not sure if I will quit soon or get fired but I’ve taken some time to reflect on all I have to be thankful for and the blessings in my life. One of the things I am most thankful for happened recently.
My wife had her annual well woman exam and her results came back abnormal. She had to have a few more tests and there was a possibility that she had cervical cancer. The worst part was having to wait about two weeks for her to get a test called a colopscopy. We then had to wait a week for the results from the biopsy. During this time I tried to keep a brave face for her and of course we didn’t mention anything to the kids but on the inside I was filled with dread. What if something happened to my wife? What would I do? What would the kids do? How would I take care of them by myself.
The way my mind is wired I was convinced we were going to get bad news. I even dreaded asking my wife what the results were the day she got them. I can’t even begin to express the relief I felt when her results came back normal. Thank God! I am so thankful to have a healthy partner and I can’t even express it in words. So even though I don’t know what is going to happen with my job or career I know that our situation could be much, much worse.
So this was a reminder for me to be thankful for what I do have. Sometimes it’s so easy to take your health or the health of those around you for granted. Never again. Take some time this holiday during all the craziness to take stock of the good things you have in your life and just stop and appreciate them!
