Suddenly Single Journey

Much to be thankful for…

Author: thenicknick

Lately, I’ve been struck my how much I have to be thankful for.  And I find myself contemplating and noting all the little things all the time.  I blame Meredith.  She writes gratitudes just about EVERY day.  So, I’ll think things like…I’m so lucky that the kids still want to spend time with me and don’t hide in their room all the time.  Or, I’ll think about how lucky I am to have my apartment and all my friends and family and my friends that are family.  I know I have a really great life that I don’t take for granted.

Holidays always make me a little more nostalgic, a little more sensitive.  The other day I was listening to a CD in the car with the kids.  (Yes, one of my mix CDs.)  It was a Christmas one and I had Feed the World by Paul McCartney and well, all the noteworthy European singers.  And Rachel sees that tears are streaming down my face.  How could I not cry?  I have a pantry full of food.  And though the kids may complain at times about the quality of their meals, they never have gone without, even when we were homeless that week.

So, I had the chance to talk to my sister, Allison, the other day.  She’s a hard woman to get in touch with.  Sure, she has a cell phone, but in her field (medical) she has a challenging schedule.  Oh, and with two kids and a husband, she has more than a few demands on her remaining time.  Needless to say, I really value our conversations, when they actually happen.

I asked how things were going with her husband, Greg, and his job.  They have been worried about him losing his job for some time.  And though there’s never a good time to be suddenly unemployed, during the holidays it’s especially heart breaking.  Allison told me the story of what’s happening at his plant in upstate New York.  (The real upstate, not the just north of the city upstate people so often refer to.)

I guess on Friday the woman who runs human resources spent her entire shift walking the plant and handing out 199 layoff notices.  There was even an entire family, mother, father, and 21 year old daughter still living at home, that received notices.  I can’t even fathom what life must be like for them.  And then I ached for the poor woman who spent a day breaking everyone else’s heart just before the holidays because it was her job to do so.  Only…then it wasn’t.  At the end of her shift, just as she was trying to leave for the night, the vice president paid her a visit.  She was the 200th person laid off that day.

Are tears running down your face yet?  I can feel them welling up in my eyes.  I fight them so I can still type.  Greg still has a job.  Who knows for how long?  And Allison just earned a promotion and a raise.  (Yay, little sister!  Wait, let me rephrase that…yay, younger sister!  She’s about five inches taller.)  You are one of the many things I’m extremely grateful for.  And I’m always thinking of you, even when we can’t connect.

This holiday season, as you’re busy putting the finishing touches on your plans…the cooking, the baking, the shopping, the wrapping, the Christmas cards  and all… be grateful.  That you have office parties to go to, even if the timing is a challenge, means that you are still employed.  That you have a ton of Christmas cards to write means that you have a ton of people in your life.  That you have a lot of baking to do means that you can afford to go beyond the basic need of three square meals a day.  That you have loads of presents to wrap means that you are able to afford to give your family a nice Christmas.  And it should go without saying, but that you have people making demands on your time…family, friends, and the friends that are family…be especially grateful since it means that you are loved.

And I don’t know about you, but I can survive anything as long as I know I have that…love.  It makes the world go round.  It makes my heart beat and my soul sing.  And even though I don’t have a romantic love, I have so many people to love, I no longer feel that loss.  All in good time.  So, no, I didn’t ask Santa to leave a man under my tree.  Let’s face it, he wouldn’t fit anyway…

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 12:10 am and is filed under Reflections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.