Being Grateful

There are so many things that I am grateful for...like my husband Gary, he does more for me than there is space on these pages to write down...he is my best friend and as I have said before, I am more in love with him than ever.
My family, there for me in a moments notice...for appointments, phone calls, hospital stays, and shoulders to cry on. They have taken over phone calls when I just couldn't handle talking to one more person or doctor or insurance company. They will run to get whatever food I want, when hospital food is just uninviting. Their continued strength has been there for me, when mine was faltering.
My friends....I have sat here for the last 5 minutes trying to figure out how to put into words what my friends mean to me and how grateful I am for them, because you see growing up (I sat by myself at my high school graduation) and until I was around 23-24 years old, my friends were not really people I could count on....so until I was about 24, I really didn't know what true friendships were like. But my friends now...well, I would do anything for them, because that is what they have done for me. They have run fundraisers for me, when things were starting to get tight, they have dropped what ever they were doing at the time to come sit with me to wait for a phone call or run me to a last minute doctors appointment. Phone calls or lunch dates to brighten my day or to just listen.
I am so grateful for this community of people that I live with...not only do I live in a beautiful area, the people living here make it more beautiful. People I don't know, telling me that I am in their prayers...donating money to help us pay bills. I really don't think I could ever live some place else, there is no more beautiful place than right here.
I am grateful to all the people I don't know around the world who are saying prayers for me, I have gotten donations and prayer from pretty much every where in the U.S. people who don't know me, but hear my story and give of themselves, I keep them in my prayers as well.
Then there are all the medical people I am thankful for....Judy, my patient advocate (and friend) she has saved me on so many occasions, calls to her when I am crying my eyes out and pulling out my hair. She has saved me hours and days of stress, that would have put me back in the hospital.
The nurses, doctors, my transplant coordinators, who are understanding...who truly try to understand what I am going through, not all of them are that way, many, many....have cut themselves off from what their patient are going through (for whatever reason, stress, being a clinical person and not a people person or just being in the job longer than they should...but what ever the reason, the patients need someone with a good bedside manner, if they are too clinical or they are tired of taking care of patients....time to move on. I could never do the work that these people do and I am constantly amazed that anyone could do it) so for those medical people (which do make up the higher percentage) thank you, thank you, thank you, not only do you save lives and bring good care to people who are sick, but you also HEAL, you HEAL people when you care about how things are affecting them, what each situation might do to us on all levels (mentally, emotionally, and spiritually), you HEAL when you understand I am more that just my physical body....so again thank you, I am so grateful and blessed when you are a part of my healing process.
I am thankful for having a roof over my head, and hot water to take long baths in. I am grateful for the clothes that keep me warm during these cold months and the food that comforts my belly. I am thankful for my dog Maggie, who puts a smile on my face and Kitty Star, whose warm soft fur is comforting when I am feeling down. I am thankful for all those who have gone on before me, I know I have a choir of Angels keeping me in their loving space.
I am so grateful and blessed to have such an abundant life...thank you Universe, God, Goddess, what ever name you call her.