a lovely Thanksgiving. I spent the day with the kids, for the first time in my life I made a full Thanksgiving dinner "by myself". I say that in quotes because every one of my four loveys helped me cook. My 13-yr old made the stuffing and actually stuffed the bird. My 10 yr old made candied yams. My 12 yr old made the mashed potatoes. (My six year old made us smile while we were cooking). Thanksgiving is a great holiday. This year I was much more thankful than last year, though my situation is not much different. I credit it to the encouragement of friends, some divine inspiration, and some concentrated effort on my part. Today I am able to look at my situation with hope for the future, not merely regret for the past; with a knowledge that I am doing the best I can, and that is good enough; and with an understanding that a loss, though serious and sad, is not forever, nor must it be devastating.
Unexpected surprises. I have been thankful for this before. This time it was a long-lost friend who called me up to invite me out on a bike ride. It was rainy and cold, but let me tell you that ride was lovely. Really good to see him. I am so thankful that he thought of me and invited me.
Going back. This weekend I am traveling across the country to see my homies. I haven't been back to see my siblings and old friends in about a year. Everyone is excited to see me, and we're planning some good times - going out to dinner, visiting people's houses. One of my friends even told me his kids are excited to see me, which is GREAT. They are the brightest girls you ever want to meet. My kids and those girls used to really have fun together, until we moved away. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone.
Looking forward.While my (stbx) wife is still pressing her case that she wants me AWAY from the kids, my kids are planning outings with me! My son told me he wants to go skiing with me, and my daughters wanna go shopping. Yee-haw! The wife can make all the legal arguments she wants, but the plain fact is my kids want to be with me. They are looking forward to doing stuff with me.
Challenges. I've been facing a bunch of new challenges at work, which has been hard, but... really good for my confidence, which had suffered greatly through all my personal travails. I am rehabbing myself.
Ok, that's enough for today. I have more but my heart is overflowing and I will share it tomorrow.
