65 Things I am Thankful For

This year, hands down, has been one of the most challenging years I have had in a long time. So many obstacles have littered my path that I have had many moments of darkness and overwhelming fear.

But I have been determined to keep putting one foot in front of the other no matter what. And at the end if this year, I am still standing and I am still here!

With my father’s heart attack in October and Thanksgiving being this month, it feels like a good time to create a list! Smile …

So …

THIS YEAR I am THANKFUL for:

1. That I am recovering from the toxic poisoning from last year.

2. The new friends that have come into my life this year.

3. Meeting an amazing man.

4. My father’s miraculous recovery from a heart attack and then a quadruple bypass.

5. The greatest gift God ever gave me: my daughter.

6. My beautiful grand kids.

7. A great family.

8. THE USA!

9. My new apartment in downtown Tulsa – a dream I have had for years and have now watched it come to fruition!

10. My great personal assistant and friend!

11. Learning that I am still capable of great love.

12. Learning I can forgive even when others hurt me or are unable to forgive me.

13. For second chances even when I don’t deserve them.

14.The few pieces of furniture I have now been able to purchase.

15. An amazing natural doctor who is willing to work with me and help me get as well as I can.

16. The ability to write a monthly column for a great friend and collegue!

17. The ability to choose what I will and won’t do with my life.

18. The faith that undergirds
me through life’s difficult moments.

19. The mistakes that I make that allow me to remember that I am human and this life I am living is an ongoing and continual process.

20. That I always have the ability to choose.

21. That even when everything in me doesn’t want to, I hold myself accountable for my actions.

22. Striving to tell the truth even when it would be easier not to.

23. That I can always dance.

24. For sexy high heels I can again wear!

25. For the amazing people I have met in the ME community ( insert teary eyes). Ya all rock!

26. That who I am today is not necessarily who I will be tomorrow because I can change and become even better.

27. I now know I am worthy of a great love.

28. That I can write to my heart’s content.

29. That I will be blessed to the degree that I am a blessing to others!

30. That I took a chance and thus have no regrets.

31. That I had 7 wonderful years with my beloved Dekker.

32. That I am lovable.

33. That determination usually pays off in the end.

34. That tomorrow always holds the promise of new possibilities.

35. That after 15 years, I can love again. It’s kinda like riding a bike…you never truly forget.

36. That I don’t always have to have the answer.

37. That I can be wrong and that’s okay.

38. That what may seem impossible or highly unlikely at the moment (like living in downtown Tulsa when there were no apartments) can suddenly turn into a dream that becomes reality!

39. That true friends love you even when you act a fool.

40. For the ability to self- publish.

41. For losing 70+pounds.

42. For the ability to lose another 50 pounds.

43. For my new love …yoga.

44. For the determination to keep moving forward.

45. That “I am worth it,” and that it isn’t just a slogan! Smile …

46. For friends that tell me the truth no matter what.

47. That the truth does indeed set me free.

48. That I am now able to watch a movie or two.

49. That I have been gifted to do great things.

50. That ALL things are indeed possible!

51. For the wonderful staff in my building who have become my friends and family.

52. For researchers like Judy who keep fighting to find the cause and cure for ME despite all the personal risks.

53. That I’m ready to meet my best friend and soul mate.

54. That even in life’s darkest and most difficult moments, there is always much for me to learn.

55. That I can live life on my terms and not compromise what I hold to be true.

56. That I have no fear of tomorrow because I know where I’m headed.

57. That I do not walk this journey alone.

58. For all the technology that keeps me connected.

59. For the body’s amazing ability to heal itself.

60. For all the awareness that XMRV brought to the public ME discourse. May the discourse continue.

61. For the ability to choose to respond instead of reacting.

62. For the power to believe that ALL my dreams WILL come true.

63. That at 49, my life is just beginning.

64. Compromising one’s beliefs never works.

65. That I understand how important it is to tell those in your life that you love them. It might just be your last chance to do so.

66.Bonus: That finding someone to love is a beautiful thing …

With that, I wish you and yours a very Happy Thansgiving!

Determined to continue forward,
Dominique