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Tis the season for giving and caring which makes me think of those less fortunate, which then gets me to thinking of all that I have. So I've been trying to be more conscious and thankful for so many good things in my life. I'm not sure what order they would go in but the top of list would be my health, family and happy marriage. Though I'd like to be closer to my family (in physical location) I always know I can call them or get on a plane and see them unlike so many people with loved ones serving this country for a war that seems to be dragging on forever. I'm also thankful for a job and having money in the bank, which makes me think back to how I got it all. There have been a lot of influential people in my life both good and bad - penny-pinching grandma and hardworking father to teach the value of a dollar, and then the other extreme of extended family members collecting welfare money and living in poverty. They all help guide paths I've chosen in life and I'm so grateful to have a nice house filled with probably too many materialistic gadgets and women's shoes. In trying to think of non-materialistic things, I thought how I'm pretty darn happy to be able to do or go most anywhere I want. There have been some scary news articles lately out of other countries, about women threatened for leaving their house without a husband, one for example, got raped and put in jail for allowing herself to get raped since she was alone. So while we do have crime in the U.S., I do usually feel secure in my daily life and I don't want to imagine having to live without the freedom and securities I probably take for granted too often. And on a lighter note, for those rough days I feel like complaining about petty stuff, I'm so thankful for my girlfriends lending their ear and sharing a margarita!