Giving Thanks...

T'is the season yet again... and I've been sorely neglecting my duties as a blogger.  Lately I've been receiving some gentle prodding to get back to writing... yes, you!  I really have missed sharing and venting with you all.  Not going to make any promises... but I'll attempt to keep you all updated and amused on a more regular basis from now on.

What I'm thankful for this year...

Becoming an Ex-Smoker... I'm still vaping away on my eCig (electronic cigarette) and loving it.  Finally I can smell / taste / breath again... without hacking up a lung daily.  I haven't felt this good since I was a teenager! 

New Friends and Unexpected Family...  While transitioning from smoking to vaping, I joined a couple of forums... for support and information.  There I found a new online home with some of the most wonderful, caring people I've had the pleasure to meet... I found family.  We all check in on each other... rejoicing in each other's victories, sharing in the sorrows and lightening the load of the daily grind.  A couple of my online friends are getting married next year... Guess who got asked by the groom to be the Best Person... big grin....  I'm going to look good in a tux!

One of my favorite authors, Richard Bach, said it best in his book Illusions - The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah... "The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life.  Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof."  (More quotes from Richard Bach... If you've never read this one, you really should... it's fun and offers some wonderful insights!  He's best known for writing "Jonathan Livingston Seagull") 

Rediscovering Love... Not only did I find friends and family on the forums... I found a wonderfully, amazing woman to share my life with.  (Now you know why I've been neglecting you all... but I'm sure you understand... don't you...) While our's is still a long distance relationship at this point, we're making plans to change that.  Meanwhile... thank god for unlimited phone plans!  My fondest memory of the year... meeting her for the first time... losing myself in her smile... and realizing just how much I do love her.  (I know... I know... more another time...)

Family... Issues and all... About to undergo a 6 hour round trip to eat Thanksgiving dinner with G-Ma and the Brothers at Shoney's (G-Ma's choice what can I say)... They may be quirky and make you cringe at times, but I love them dearly just the same. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!