No stale snacks . . .and other things to be thankful for!

For years, I have sporadically kept a "gratitude journal". Blank pages of a pretty little book filled each day with 3 things for which I am thankful. Usually not 3 "BIG" things, but 3 uncommon things, 3 little things that force me to note, just for a moment, that the thing . . . that could have gone wrong . . .didn't. Or, when something is annoying, irritating or wrecking my schedule . . .a bit of gratitude that it isn't worse (ie: when running late and then being forced to wait behind the barrier for the train to pass, there might be a jounal entry that reads: I did not get hit by the train!) In thumbing through the journal recently, I found other entries like: "the funeral procession I passed was not for somone I know" . . . "the glass I dropped in the sink did not break" . . . "ten perfect fingernails" . . . "the sound of Charlie's laughter" . . . "perfect paint colors" . . . "the maid came today" . . . "Suzy" . . . "the very sound advice of my friend Pat"

Many of these, based on the date, and what was happening in my life at the time, I can actually remember writing. The book holds these musings for the last 15 years or so, a few weeks at a time of daily entries and then months with nothing, another few weeks and then, a drought of almost a year . . .I was inspired though, to pick it back up this week because of two specific things for which I am particularly grateful: 1) I do not have a layered haircut and 2) I never have to worry about stale snacks.

The first is easy to explain. I mentioned in an earlier post that all the hair at the bottom half of the back of my head is falling out because it is where the radiation leaves my body ---with a layered cut, I would be VERY strange looking indeed, but, because my hair is all one length, you can't even tell--the long stuff from the top covers up the bald stuff on the bottom--so far!

And, I have to tell you that never having to worry about stale snacks is particularly gratifying! Charlie shared this with me earlier in the week when we were talking about my feeding tube. He said, "Mom, you know what's cool about that tube? If you ever want a snack you can just pour something down it wherever you are . . . in the car even! Do you know what this means, Mom?" "Um . . . what Char?" "You NEVER have to worry about stale snacks!"

Wow! How cool is that? Of course he can eat snacks in the car too and I have NO idea why he is worried about stale ones, but it's something to be grateful for, none the less. (two days later Jason pulled a ziplock bag of goldfish crackers (almost goldfish dust) out of his camp bag . . .can't say how long it had been in there but it might explain his concern!)

Anyway . . . I am back on the gratitude journal again and my three entries for today are:

1) SINGLE DIGITS! Only 9 more radiation treatments to go!
2) My sister's long and convoluted stories (Lord, she makes me laugh!)
3) In the cancer arena, my journey is only a skirmish . . . 32 days of treatment . . .likely not months and years of battling---one crappy summer traded for a real chance of cure.

I am unbelievably blessed . . .and grateful.