Thankful...

Today I celebrated my 44th annual Thanksgiving and for the first time in my life I was not with family. Nor did I slave away in the kitchen. I was thinking on a day like today I could have been really sad and depressed. I could have thrown myself a big ol' pity party, but the truth is although I am alone, I am happy and content.

The past few mos. have brought about the biggest change of my life. Separation/Divorce is never easy and in the beginning I wasn't sure how or even "if" I would make it. I shed a lot of tears. I felt insecure and afraid, but I am finding out I had a lot more inner strength than I realized. And you know what? In spite of it all, I find myself truly thankful.

Through this ordeal I have reconnected with God. I am learning to trust Him again. I have reconnected with myself as crazy as that may sound. For years I was just lost. Didn't know who I was anymore. I am finally learning to love me again.

I told my daughter that and she said I sounded conceited. I explained to her that if you can't love yourself first, you can't love others. Aside from a relationship with God, the second-most important relationship you will have on this earth is with yourself. Even Jesus told us to "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Self-love is very important if you want healthy relationships. I am learning that out of self-love grows self-confidence, self-worth, self-esteem and self-respect. When you feel these things about yourself, it emboldens you to step out of the boat and do the things in life that make you happy. You start believing you're worth it. For so long I didn't think I "deserved" to be happy. Now I know I do and I am sooo thankful.

They say "your attitude determines your altitude". I've also heard it said "It's not what happens to you in life that matters so much as how you respond to it." Attitude is everything. I am learning that more and more as I go along. Believe me, I have been on both sides of the fence. I know what it is to be negative and I know what it is to be positive. I like positive so much better. There's just something about a positive attitude that draws people to you like bees to honey.

On a sidenote, this morning I was standing at the kitchen window waiting for my coffee to percolate and lo and behold if I didn't look out and see a big, fat redbird sitting on the fence. I love to watch birds, but I have a special affinity for redbirds. I don't know what it is about them but they are just beautiful to me. I must have stood there for 10 minutes entranced and thinking how thankful I was for that moment in time.

Before it was over another redbird had joined him, only this redbird was the other variety with very little red on it actually. I am convinced these two are mates. I actually saw this same pair the other morning as I was in the bathroom getting ready for work. I peeked out the window and there sat Mr. big, fat redbird on the table helping himself to some water that had puddled on the top of it. Within a few minutes his mate landed on the rail nearby. I couldn't help but smile and savor the moment as if it would be the last I would see of them. But no, here they were again today gracing me with their presence.

It made me realize how thankful I am for the little things in life whether it be big, fat redbirds, crisp blue skies, falling leaves, or new beginnings. As hard as life can be sometimes with its ups and downs, joys and sorrows, everything we go through makes us into the person we are. Ever-changing, ever-evolving.

I am so thankful for this exact moment in my life right now. I will never pass this way again so I savor it. I embrace it. I count it as part of the process I must go through to be the person I am becoming. And you know what? I love that person. I couldn't have said that a few months ago. For now I leave you with this:

Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations, for they give you opportunity for improvement.
Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference.
It's easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

The Least of These...

Saturday night I was sitting at home reading a book about elephants in Africa when my phone rang. It was a co-worker who had extra tickets to the Bantum Rooster concert at the Sunset Theater asking me if I wanted to go? For those of you who don't live in Asheboro I'm sure you're thinking "Who is Bantum Rooster?" I will tell you. They are a local band made up of HS and college boys who specialize in oldies rock 'n roll. Well, I had nothing else to do so I thought "why not?" I quickly threw on some makeup, fixed my hair and was out the door in a flash. Headed for a big night out on the town... for Asheboro, that is.

We were able to get front-row seats and quickly settled in for the concert. I had already spotted Randy when I came in the door so I knew we were in for a treat. Randy is one of those unforgettable characters that once encountered, you will never forget. Last year he was the hit of the night when he mosied down front during "Hound-dog" and proceeded to do his very best Elvis imitation. I have never laughed so hard in my life. The gyrations this man did would be enough to land me in the hospital flat of my back in full traction regalia. At the time I don't think most people there realized that Randy was a bit "touched". He is what a friend of mine would call "the least of these". In other words, he's a bit like a child mentally.

Sure enough, about 3 songs into the concert Randy could not stand it another minute. Down he paraded to the front onto the makeshift dancefloor. I mean he put on quite a show. I think the funniest part was when he hiked up his collar and proceeded to unbutton most of the bottons down the front of his Hawaiian shirt. I honest-to-God thought he was gonna do a striptease right then & there, and was mentally preparing myself for him to fling his shirt off. Thank God he didn't go quite that far, but rest assured by that time everyone around me had erupted in laughter including "yours truly".

As I watched this man thoroughly enjoying himself it occurred to me, "Can you imagine going through life like that, with no inhibitions?" Clearly this man had none. In fact, he seemed to enjoy the spotlight, and if I can be so bold as to say it... he "made" the concert what it was. He literally danced his way through most of those two hours. He would no sooner get back to his seat then they would start up another song and back to the front he would go. There is no doubt he must be in tip-top aerobic shape to pull off the dance moves he did, not to mention the man is as limber as Gumby. A contortionist in his own right. Oh, and did I mention this man has to be nearing 60?



Now I am looking forward to the next concert in December. This time Bantum Rooster will be doing "A Rockin' Christmas" for a donation of canned goods at the door. No doubt Randy will be back with more of his dance moves. And this time I will be armed with my camera ready to videotape it. I am looking forward to that as much as I am the concert itself. And I will definitely share it with my friends on Facebook. Everyone needs to experience Randy.

I just wonder what it would be like for one time in my life to lose all inhibitions? I mean to literally throw caution to the wind and just run up there in front of God & everybody and dance my fool head off? Unfortunately, I'm not like Randy though. I dare say most of us aren't. But I would venture to say he probably has a lot more fun in life than we do. Would to God we could all be more like the Randy's of the world, even if just for one night. Life would be a much better place. So in honor of Randy and those like him, here's to "the least of these" who grace our lives with their presence and make life a more loving, enjoyable experience.

To check out Bantum Rooster's music, simply copy and paste the link below into your browswer:

http://www.myspace.com/bantumrooster