Thanksgiving Over Time

It isn't my best Thanksgiving. Since last year I have less money, I'm further from my loved ones, have fewer options, more gray hair and wrinkles, and less faith in political systems. It is easy to say I don't feel very thankful.
Sheila died last week and her memorial service is this weekend. I feel an inexplicable urge to go to that service and share with someone how much I appreciated Sheila in life. She was a family friend since I was little, worked with a remote tribe in Brazil and opened her house in Cuiaba to us whenever we went that way. With no children of her own, she 'adopted' some of us and watched out for us through visits and phone calls. Over the years she never lost track of where I was or what I was doing. She let me know she was thinking of me and I am thankful for her caring friendship.

This got me thinking outside of my present day experiences back to the places I have come from, to who I am thankful for because of how they have shaped my life. It is like zooming out on a map to see the bigger picture instead of the limited view of one tiny pinpoint.
I realize how thankful I am for the opportunity to travel in Europe over the last two years with friends and family. I dined with my brothers, traveled with my mother and drove to Italy with two retired friends.  I am thankful for all of them and the time they shared with me. Time with family is precious these days.

I am thankful for Minnesota, my adopted home, and the people who are always there for me and my family.  They have seen us come and go, stored our boxes, solved our emergencies and payed our bills. Every time we go back, they welcome us into their lives and make us feel a part of the family.  I know I always have somewhere to go back to.
I may never make it back to Kwajalein, but I am truly thankful for the 8 years spent on that island. It was a time of healing for me and my family. I had just come through a hectic ten years giving birth and running after three small boys. I was worn down and feeling isolated and worthless. The island community took us in, built us up,

and taught us that true happiness is sharing a beautiful place with beautiful people. We felt appreciated and, on leaving, knew we would be missed as much as we missed those we left behind.
While I am going back in time, I might as well share my thanksgiving for the people who turned out to be some of our best friends while we were in Rio. These wonderful people invited us over even though we came with three loud boys. They sailed with us through rough seas and engine trouble. They cooked for us and saved our middle child from falling overboard. They made

our Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year's holidays more memorable by joining the party.
When our time there was up, and we moved on, it was sad, but that only strengthens my feeling of appreciation and thanksgiving for the people we shared the experiences with. I  will always have those times to look back on and feel thankful.
I cannot say in what ways I will look back on my present situation.  I do know that I am looking forward to an invitation to a Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and ham.... yes, ham! The fact that I was invited to share the meal with new friends is more likely to make it into my memoirs than the ham we eat together.