November 24, 2010

White Dog was a little concerned that there was nothing baking in the oven and no fussing going on in the kitchen. She is the only member of the White Dog Army who has experienced a "traditional" Sue and Steve Thanksgiving and thought we were way behind schedule. But this year will be different. Our table is usually filled with "orphans" friends who have no family to indulge or place to feast; this year wondrously, our friends have new serious relationships, are being included at new tables, are hosting their own dinners. We find ourselves in the delightful position of being able to totally focus on the pups and ourselves.

So instead of a huge meal, we plan to go hiking in the mountains with White Dog, The Other White Dog, Another White Dog, and Still Another White Dog, and with Michael. We are hoping to find the perfect place to sit quietly and reflect and count our blessings...and we have so much to be thankful for...

...each other because Steve and I are, without doubt the most amazingly blessed humans on the planet to have each other;

...our beautiful loving furbabies, each unique, each adding her or his own specialness to the family recipe: Quinn with his gentle soul and nonplussed nature; Nuka our deaf girl who doesn't let her disability keep her from laughing at what life throws at her; Puff who is teaching us about how to nurture the delicate flowers called trust and hope. Of course, Siku Marie, my soulmate and inspiration who everyday reminds me that together she and I can do anything;

...all of the rescue and transport people who helped bring Quinn, Nuka, and Puff to us and those who regularly connect forever families with pets needing a second (or third) chance at a decent life;

...our cozy home that keeps us warm and provides sanctuary from the storms of life;

...our health and good fortune;

...our nephew, Michael, who has shown us a perspective we would never had experienced had he not joined our lives;

...our Heart Family who loves us unconditionally, nonjudgmentally without any of the dysfunction that our birth families wrap themselves in;

...our friends and support network who give us confidence that we can do anything because they are always there to catch us when we fall or boost us higher to reach the stars;

...those who forgave us when we were crabby or who gave us a chance we didn't deserve or who treated us with kindness we took for granted or who understood when no else could;

...this incredible community, no more than that, family of bloggers who share their journeys and experiences, cradle us in our pain, dance with us in our joy and achievement, encourage us to be noble and reach higher, and most important, love with the heart of a four-legged: totally truly tenaciously. You have enriched us beyond measure. Thank you.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." by Melody Beattie

White Dog and all of our family wish every one a bounty of blessings for which to be grateful Happy Thanksgiving.