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| A Blast from the Past - 2006 Extended Family Dinner |
Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day in the United States and I am so glad I was able to spend it with my sister Ginny, her husband Ed and 4 of their 8 kids. It reminded me of our younger days when we all lived in the same town in Ohio and we would just hang out together all the time. It made me realize what a gift my new RV life is going to be. In just the past 3 months I was able to hang out with 2 of my sisters, my parents and 10 of my 22 nieces and nephews (many of whom I haven't seen in a few years). This new full-time RV lifestyle of mine is awesome! If you are hesitating to begin the RV life, don't wait anymore! Take a leap of faith and begin a life of travel that will let you rebuild relationships with family and friends who may be living all over the world.
One of our Thanksgiving traditions (from when we were kids) is to thank God for the blessings of the past year. Now, I know that the whole year wasn't one big blessing for all of us. As a matter of fact, I have a few friends and family members who had a tough year. But . . . I also know that in the midst of the pain there were moments of joy and blessings. So, I encourage all of you to give thanks. I will start us off with a list of 10 things for which I am thankful:
(1) I am so thankful that I still have my parents, Lois and Don Spencer, in my life. They are so generous with their love for everyone they know!
(2) My extended family. I have 3 sisters, a brother, 22 nieces, and nephews, and 12 grandnieces and grandnephews with 2 more to be born in the spring. These amazing people bring a great deal of joy in my life. I look forward to the chance to get reconnected and to meet some of them for the first time!
(3) I am thankful I was raised in a Catholic family. My faith is a big part of who I am and I can't imagine my life without God in it.
(4) My Itasca Sunstar 30T - in case you don't know the
story, this is the RV of my dreams that I thought I would never be able to afford. I found it online on the exact evening I sold my condo!
(5) Friends and Colleagues - To the ADW lunch bunch, you know who you are. Your videos and texts have made me miss you but have also made me smile. Thank you!
(6) Nature! I have more time to enjoy the natural world. For example, I saw an amazing sunset while driving in
Missouri and another one in South Carolina. In the past, I was so busy that if I saw a sunset on the highway, I was more likely to complain that it slowed down traffic than to enjoy it.
(7) Random Acts of Kindness and Good Samaritans. I shared in an earlier post how a kind person in
Arkansas took care of me. Often TV news stories make us afraid of the world. These last few months have shown me that the world is also filled with kindness!
(8) Social Media - I am thankful that these things let me connect with and share my life with family and friends. I don't think my full-time RV life would be as much fun if I couldn't share it with all of you.
(9) Freedom - As a citizen of the United States of America, I have the freedom to make choices and to accept the consequences. For example, I chose to retire early and live full-time in an RV. The consequence of that choice is that I will need to live a financially simpler life with fewer things and find new ways to make money. This choice also allows me the freedom to travel at times when I used to have to work in an office. FREEDOM will be my word for 2018.
(10) Coffee - I know this seems silly compared to other things on the list, but if you are a coffee drinker you know there is nothing better than a hot cup of really good coffee!
Well, folks that's my Thanksgiving list. Want to share your own list of "thankful things"? Well, just use the comment section below to share. I would love to hear about the great things in your life from this past year.
