Hang on!
Hold everything!
Do you realize….
Today….it's the day before the shopping event of the year!!!
No no, wait wait, that's not the holiday spirit, even if last year I did create:
But I digress. 🙂
Where was I?
Ah yes, Thanksgiving!
Let's actually achieve the ultimate, shall we?
Let's happily forget that tomorrow is Black Friday and choose to ignore that every known retail outfit on the face of this planet is covertly sending out Google Cars to adroitly map from where their customers are zooming!
Instead, let's really think about what Thanksgiving honestly means.
No, I am am NOT focusing upon the fact that the New World colonists repaid the local Indians by slaughtering them the moment the turkey stuffing went cold (Courtesy of my eldest who reminded me of this fact during our tDay dinner. Gotta love teens. Emo teens. Emo angsting teens. Emo angsting teens named Fluffy…..).
Instead, I want to chat about what Thanksgiving means to me…Barbara Ling….the All Powerful Mother Unit and Fearless Guardian of the Ages, the shining beacon of stoic calmness and unearthly sanity no matter what utter hellfire destruction befalls said angsting emo teen named Fluffy, the epitome of rapturous serenity whose main reaction when she discovered her site was hacked was "Jeepers! How delightfully character-building this makes Thanksgiving! Wheee!".
Yep. That's what I want to discuss.
And here's what it means to me.
Honestly, why does the holiday even exist?
And no, I'm not simply being more confrontational than a white belt grumpy Neanderthal who just encountered a black belt serene Jedi and decided to teach her a lesson she'd never forget.
Seriously! Let me ask you the following:
Aren't you thankful….every day?
I mean, I really doubt that each and every day you fail to realize just how glorious your life is…because of the wondrous people who have touched it.
Right?
You don't ignore your children or your spouse or your friends but…
Hang on.
Let me amend that a tad, okay?
You probably know it in your heart just how blessed you are…but I'll bet….
You fail to tell the people you love…this plain simple fact.
Right?
Don't feel bad if you find yourself nodding in agreement; heck, every now and then, I'm just as guilty of taking for granted my loved ones as is the next all-powerful Mother unit.
But I *am* getting better.
See, my life, like yours, has been so extraordinary…it really does defy imagination.
And not because of my accomplishments, because quite frankly, being the KSH Master of the Universe or the Maverick Marketing Magician or the Incredible Super-Tall Virtual Coach of All That Is Twitter-able…..
It's secondary.
It pales never to the people whom I love and value.
In short…
It's nothing compared to the people who make my life uncommonly exceptional.
See?
I don't *need* a designated day to thank my husband, my family, my friends… my precious loved ones.
I want them to know every day instead how important they are to me.
Which brings me to the point of this posting!
Every day, I hope the following people realize…ummmm….the following.
My blog community and customers
You folks are gold, utter, sheer….gold. You share your precious time at my site and offer your ideas and comments to what I've written; I really cannot express just how thrilled I am to be part of this community.
Thank you so much!
My karate senseis and fellow students
Tom and MatI and MatII and Jimmy and Sensei Kuter and Master Merced (and Bear! Bear! Beaarrrrr!) and Jerry and Paul and Anthony etc. … you never looked at my 46-year old handicapped self and said, "Jeepers! Are you insane, woman?" (okay true, you probably never said "Jeepers!" either, but the point still remains).
Instead, you all have extended your hands in friendship and respect…and quite honestly, I really don't think I could have experienced a warmer, more encouraging atmosphere at any other dojo around.
Thank you so much!
Karate Moms!
Even though I'm considered quite bizarre by the majority of you, I truly enjoy our interactions while watching our respective kids gain, ahem, appreciation for being bodily smacked upside the headed.
Lisa and Entesar – thank you so much!
My Sysadmin
Floyd, I've been with you now since 2004 and to say you deliver superb customer service….it's an understatement indeed! Anyone who wants a great hosting provider, check out www.NewWebSite.com – utterly tremendous.
Thank you so much, Floyd!
My Soul Friends
I firmly believe that as one goes thru life, one meets people with whom time and space simply do *not* exist.
I call these people soul-friends. 20 years could go by and you don't see them, but the very instant you're reunited, it's as though only a brief second had passed since the last time you chatted.
I'm blessed by 3 such people in my life….and know that no matter where I am, they're always with me in my heart.
Love you bunches!
My Kids and Parents
The gods must have been crazy indeed to bless me with such unique people to be my kids and my parents.
I look at my parents and feel gratitude that they raised me with their sterling values.
And when I look at my kids, it hits me like a punch to the gut that OMG….miracles do exist.
And I'm their mother.
Love you bunches too!
My Husband
If my kids are the icing on the cake of my life, my husband is the cake itself.
We celebrated 17 years of marriage a few months ago, and I realize that he is truly my strength and my love…as I am for him.
Sure, we might have starkly different interests (he loves to travel, I love pummeling the 6th degree black belt senseis into the ground until they whimper with mercy, okay, I fantasize about that, okay, I just love karate, okay?) and he might be a neat nick so magnificent one could perform major surgery on his immaculate office floor while I, ahem, artfully make sure things are at a right angle to each other…..
But still.
We're made for each other.
Love the huzb bunches as well!
In closing
I'm thankful every day of the year and grateful to my guardian angel that my life has been touched by such goodness and greatness.
And I'll bet you are too!
So….don't wait until Thanksgiving to reach out to the people you love and value and say:
"Jeepers…you mean the world to me. And I just wanted to let you know that."
Your life will be that more glorious for it.
Enjoy!
Grow strong,
Barbara Ling
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