I would thank so many people (in a kind of chronological order):
My parents for providing a secure and loving home. My father for continuing that support after my mother died. For his supporting me financially in a way that taught me to acknowledge my mistakes and learn how to support myself as I grew older. I thank other family members; experiences with them and learning their stories (even if I never actually met them in the flesh) helped me to understand my heritage, helped me “see” how life sometimes works out, sometimes doesn’t and why.
My teachers from first grade to high school graduation who taught me how to behave in society, who taught me how to write and spell, introduced me to wonderful literature, kept my nose to the books for the subjects I hated, like Math and Chemistry, and who were kind ears when my world seemed to be crashing around me.
Some of my university professors, specifically a few History teachers in my undergraduate years and an Ethics professor in a graduate course, and fellow students in my graduate studies who kept me working and engaged when I wanted to drift off. True I didn’t complete my actual dissertation for my doctorate but in all of the other graduate courses and in the comprehensive exams my fellow students were a huge support.
Some of the people I worked for; actually I had more “good” bosses than bad. I am grateful even for the dressing-downs I received because I learned and I am thankful for my career path. It wouldn't have been as interesting and varied had I not been challenged. For example I was fired in three different jobs and I am grateful for that because my next jobs were more interesting and I approached them with a less pride-full attitude.
Friends. I have had friends who stayed in my life for years and years and others who were only in my life while I lived in a certain place or was attending school (see fellow students above) or was with a particular affiliation. My friends were often angels (see God)), sometimes they were “devil’s advocates” who helped me clarify what it was I really wanted out of life. There are a few former friends that I don’t miss in the least but even with that I’m glad I had those experiences with them. I’ve learned about the boundaries that make us healthy through those experiences.
I thank my daughter for being the light of my life. And her husband and children. Without them, life would be so much less interesting, and I would be a poorer person in terms of my own attitudes and behavior.
I thank my husband for stretching me emotionally. I thank him for supporting me financially during the lean years. I thank him for not being critical or threatening when I needed to do things on my own such as travel or live elsewhere. (I returned the favor to him too when he wanted to take a job that entailed moving.)
Mainly though I thank God for being in my life, for always being there, unobtrusive but a guiding hand so that, when I neared the bottom, thinking I was alone, someone always appeared, a kind of angel, who helped see me to climb back up.
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