Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving has two qualities for me, a combination of contemplation and Americana that makes it one of my favorite days of the year.

The act of giving thanks makes us count our blessings and truly and actively consider them, and not necessarily in a religious context, although for me that’s a major component of it.

This Thanksgiving turned out very different than expected, but I am still very thankful.

We were all set to have the family come celebrate Thanksgiving together at our house, but on Monday I ended up having to take Season to the hospital's emergency room as she was having some neurological issues that demanded attention.

Luckily we were assigned a very competent and compassionate doctor. Unfortunately the doctor felt that Season was exhibiting symptoms of multiple sclerosis so she was going to have to be admitted to the hospital to undergo tests and begin treatment as soon as possible.

Since that moment we have been very concerned about what the future holds in store for us, but I have faith in Season's strength and tenacity to fight this disease and that we can get through what ever happens next together.

Season ended up having to stay in the hospital until Friday afternoon. That meant that we couldn't have Thanksgiving at home as we had originally planned so instead we all gathered in Season's room and had Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of the hospital cafeteria.

Not exactly the feast I had looked forward to, but the important thing was that we were all together and I felt very fortunate to be able to spend that day with the people I love most.

Season is at back home now and the neurological problems seem to have gone away. She still feels a little dizzy now and then, but hopefully once the doctor can pinpoint which subtype of MS she has he can begin to treat it in earnest and that will clear up too.

I was going to go through a list of things that I am thankful for, but I think I'll just mention...

I am very thankful that Season was able to get such great medical care and that the whole family was able to come together to give her support and show her how much she is loved.

I feel so blessed and thankful to have such a wonderful woman as my partner. She fills my every waking moment with joy and happiness. She is my heart. She is my calming spirit. I love her so much.

I don't know how I got so lucky, but I am most thankful that Season has graced my life with her presence.

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and hope that you at least took a moment to count your blessings. You never know when everything you took for granted can change.