Thanksgiving 2013 For What or Whom are You Thankful? November 23, 2013

I feel so much like a dinosaur these days and I am grateful for my years, but so many of my allusions do not work  because the younger listener has no point of reference. Commercial jingles I recollect have not been heard, as the one from Ajax where all your troubles  "go down the drain;"  political statements, even from JFK , such as the one that begins "Ask not..." are no longer known. 

I must also remind myself that in  my adult years I have gathered so much information that when I fail to recollect something, it is being retrieved from a very large database in my head. I sometimes wish I could get an update as my iPad can to fix database glitches. Of course you can readily see that I am very impressed with myself at 75, even though I know many people who are knowledgeable and high functioning at ages 10 or 15 years older than I. But that's about it. I am grateful and thankful not only because I spend so much time in the company of formerly bright, articulate people such as my husband whose minds are closed by Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, but also because I see the need to make good use of this time of my life.

The motto "Live for today" never meant very much to me as I was always preparing for tomorrow. "Life is short, eat desert first" is posted on the wall of Bob's favorite Arizona restaurant. Even five years ago, when I first saw that poster, I thought it was a joke, but not anymore. I am beginning to appreciate the sweetness of waking up every day, knowing who I am and what I have planned.

As always, I am thankful for all the people in my life , those who care for my husband in the Memory Care facility, others who enrich me and toward whom I feel connected, whether they have entered my life for a reason, for a season or for a lifetime, whether in person, through sharing my book or through contact with the 859 Facebook friends who read what I post. My journey with my husband through Alzheimer's disease has indeed transformed me in many ways  and I have met so many wonderful, caring people along the way.

Most of all, I appreciate and I am grateful for the closeness I now have with my family ---- my children, grandchildren, my sister in California and her children and grandchildren and several of my cousins. I am thankful for this holiday which encourages all of us to count our blessings and for me to share with you all how very important and how very loved you are.