a convergence of thanks ...

It seems like, in the last month, I've been shaking my head and saying, "Man, am I lucky or what?"

A friend's husband died suddenly. He found out one week he had cancer and two weeks later he died. He was 52 years old.

My uncle died. He was in good physical health but he had Alzheimer's and he was starting to drift away from us all. He was hospitalized one week and died the next.

I was in Iowa for the funeral and a week later they had catastrophic floods -- and this is catastrophic for everyone, because Iowa feeds the world. We're all going to feel the pinch because of this for years to come.

I was on a group outing yesterday and we went to the Arboretum. One of my co-workers and I climbed, walked, examined, and moved around for at least an hour before taking the trolley ride around the grounds. Another co-worker is very obese and can't move well, and she had to wait for us in the main building while the rest of us explored. Man, am I thankful to have my health.

Perhaps diasters/calamities like this are meant to make us stop and take an account of where we are. I'm relatively healthy, my home is intact, my food source is safe, I have clean water, my loved ones are safe, and I have a good job. I am not going to bitch about my husband's eccentricities, gas prices, food prices, or property taxes: I've GOT my husband safe with me, I've GOT a house, I've GOT clean food, and I've GOT a car.

So many don't.

It's good to keep that in mind ....