Gratitude

Thanksgiving day is upon is. It's a day where we give thanks by eating everything in sight except for maybe the table cloth, linens, and silverware. It's a day of happy oblivion, a day eat more than is wise, drink more than is necessary, think less than is required.

I'd like to say that everyday I'm grateful for what I have, but there are moments where the mundane distractions of life overtake the grounded reality where I'd prefer to be planted and I find myself whining about broken microwave ovens, gutters that are peeling off the house, and the dishwasher my daughter has again forgotten to empty.

Today was the ultimate reality check. My dear friend Mickey - and his warrior of a son, Cody - is the check I wish I didn't have. Cody is in remission from neuroblastoma, a hideous form of childhood cancer with a high rate of recurrance and not a single iota of compassion. He has been through chemo that has diminished his hearing, stem cell transplants, and more pain than any one person should live through in a lifetime. Cody is 5 years old.

And, on this eve of the day when we all give thanks, my dear friend Mickey and his wife Diane, are staring into the abyss once again with a diagnosis on their dear son that is grave: the cancer has recurred.

It's days like this where you reevalutae where your feet rest. What is it that you gripe about, and in the grander scheme, is it really all that big a deal? My shameful answer is a resounding "NO". I have 3 beautiful, healthy childern. I am not a single mom, and I live a life that 95% of the world doesn't live. I don't worry if I have enough money to feed my kids, if I have enough to pay my mortgage... or worse: I don't have to worry - at present - that there may nothing to save the life of one of my childern.

I'd like to be able to write something of hope and grace for this day of thanksgiving; with news of Cody, it is harder than ever.

So, I'll offer up a simple prayer of hope that at this time next year, we are thankful for Cody's good health, good friends, and the days with which we have been blessed.

For you, Cody.

Monica