SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR!

This Thanksgiving I realize just how much I have to be thankful for.  I have always felt thankful, but I do realize we all take things for granted.  Now, after battling cancer, I try not to take things for granted and give thanks for even the smallest things.....even annoyances.  I try to find the blessings in things that may even be a nuisance to me....try doing that and you will be amazed just how much you do have to be thankful for!  Like the dirty dishes....a nuisance....but it meant you ate!  :=)  Or, like the cowlick at the back of my head...I'm thankful that my hair is long enough now to even have a cowlick.  lol!

As I look over this year, here are just some of the things I'm thankful for....in no particular order...

My family...

A couple are missing...Joe and Jenna

Got Jenna in this one...still missing Joe.

 My family....I love them, they love me.  That says it all!

Special Friends...

  My friends who gave me such great support this year.  I am especially thankful for Linda, who retired last year....just in time to be free to hang with me this year when I needed her most.  And for Martha, who is always ready to come play with me in the cave and has provided me with many "talk sessions" and hugs!  They both are very loving friends and very special in my life. 

I am also thankful for Barb, Vicki, Karen, Angie.....ugh, I don't want to leave anyone out.  You know who you are!  You all are "angels in my life"!

My sister, Sheila....

 I'm thankful for my sister, Sheila, who went through this journey with me...took my nudie shots....went to many lunches with me for good talks and put up with all of my boob talk....and is just always there for me.  We always have a good time together and have always been close, but I think we are even closer today...not only are we biological sisters....we are also cancer sisters. She has been a great support for me.....one of my biggest cheerleaders!

My Sisters....

I am thankful for my sisters, who were there for me (even the goofy one on the left)...and my brother who has been there for me too!  :=)

My Cancer Sisters...

I am thankful for my other cancer sisters....Carin, Amy, Edie, Andee, and Ruby.  We have fought the battle and kicked butt girls!  You all have been so brave and God brought us together for His purpose! 

God....

I am thankful for God who has taken care of me and drawn me closer to Him and blessed me so much in this journey!

My Medical Team....

OOH, now I see why people tell me I look good now...I did look kinda sick...lol!

As you can see, I was much heavier at the beginning of this journey.

 I am thankful to everyone on my medical team, but especially for Dr. Zusan and Dr. Venkatesh and Dr. Jackson.  I could not have asked for a better, more passionate and positive team!

Opportunities to help spread the word....

I am thankful for the opportunities God has provided (and continues to provide) me to educate women about breast cancer and early detection and to spread the word to "get your mammograms" and how important they are!

Mammograms...although I never have to do another one!

 I am thankful for mammograms...especially for those new digital mammograms, that are catching more.  We have a way of catching breast cancer early....never see it as a dreadful thing, but be thankful we have it!  Some cancers are caught in late stages because there is no way to catch them early (ovarian being one of them). I will be forever grateful for the mammogram that caught my cancer early!

A nice, warm bed....

I'm thankful for my nice, warm bed and opportunites to lie in it some mornings until I get ready to get up.  LOL!

Research.....

Can you find me?  Kinda like "Find Waldo", lol!

I am thankful for research and to all of those who help in any way to raise money for cancer research.  We have come a long way baby!  I'm just amazed at what can be done today to make cancer more bearable and even curable.

Feeling great!

I feel like I've had a make-over!  I'm thinking of keeping my hair short...what do you think?

 I am thankful for my hair (look at that hair....whoohoooo), my new ta-tas (hey, they're fake, but my real ones tried to kill me!), my weight loss (I feel better with the weight off).  I feel and look better now than I have in years.  No complaints.....I'm so thankful that I am feeling so good!

My fingernails....

I'm thankful for my fingernails....because I never had any! I used to chew them down to the skin!

Forgiveness....

 I am thankful for forgiveness....it has set me free!

My Blog.... 
I am thankful for my blog...it has been very therapeutic for me, as well as giving me a journal to look back and see my whole journey and how far I've come.

My camera....

 I'm thankful for my camera (thanks Jen)!  It goes everywhere with me and has helped me document my journey.  It has captured so many memories with so many special people! 

Crockpots and crock pot recipes...lol!

  I am thankful for my crock pots...all five of them.  LOL!

\Arimidex

Arimidex® (generic name is anastrozole) is a newer drug developed for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in women.

 I am thankful for Arimidex...a little white pill that helps keep the cancer at bay.  It cuts my chances of it returning in half.

My businesses....and my customers...

I'm thankful for my 3 businesses...Scentsy, Stampin' Up and Thirty-One Gifts.  They keep me busy and give us some income....plus I have lots of great products!  I'm thankful to Linda and Martha for helping me keep my Stamping classes going this summer when I was too sick to do them.  And I'm thankful to my regular customers who kept me "alive" in my businesses even when I was too sick to work them.

My parents.....

I'm thankful for my mom and dad, who taught me to do the right thing and helped me be the person I am today.  I am thankful for the childhood they gave me.....simple, fun, and innocent!  I think back now on what they gave us all....I smile when I think of them going Christmas shopping for santa presents for us kids.  My mom loved Christmas and as we approach the holidays, I am reminded of what she did for us....always making Christmas a special time, even when money was short.  I didn't realize it then....but I do now.  And, my dad lovingly supported her in what she did for us.  I miss them both so much.

Home
I am thankful for our home....my safe sanctuary.  There's just no place like home.

Community South Hospital....

I look like that guy on tv....Uncle Fester, was that his name?  LOL!

I'm thankful for the hospital staff at Community South, where I have had all of my surgeries and prepare for another one on Dec. 2.  They have been very kind and compassionate any time I have been there and I couldn't ask for a better hospital for my procedures. 

And YOU!!!!
Yes, YOU!!!   I am thankful for you....my readers who I have felt so much support from.  I am thankful that you visit my blog and hope I have helped you learn more about breast cancer and the need to be proactive about your own health.  I am thankful that you let me share my journey with you, as it has blessed me to think I may have made a difference in someone's life.  My prayer has always been for God to use my blog for His purposes and I believe He has and continues to do so.  You are here for a greater purpose than my journey!  :=)

I could go on and on and on....I still have so much more to be thankful for.  But, we'd be here for days and days if I named them all! 

Until next time....sit down and make a list of your blessings....we know we have them, but listing them really shows us just how much we do have to be thankful for.  Start a "Gratitude Journal"...it will teach you to not sweat the small stuff....be thankful in any situation!  It's possible...even in the midst of a trial. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!!!! 
Cindy