Today I am Grateful

The Finishing Touch
Originally uploaded by Bizzy Girl.

Well, actually, I am grateful every day, but I just don't stop to take note of it often enough.

Today I feel I am due to give thanks to the Universe for my good fortune. Despite the fact that I am up to my boobs in debt at the time of this writing, I have much to be thankful for.

To begin with, I am infinitely grateful for the fact that because I have some very special people in my life right now, I am able to give my kids a decent Christmas. You know who you are, but in case you don't, I'm going to do some name-dropping...

My stepfather Mike has been part of our family for almost thirty years now, and there has never been a time when we needed something...anything...and he wasn't there for us. Whether we needed someone to come out on a cold night and give us a boost, or to come over and fix a leaky toilet, Mike was and is always ready and willing to help us out. Myself personally, being a single girl living on her own, I have called upon Mike to help me many a time recently. He will come over and watch the boys for me if I have to go out; he took my cat to the vet for me when I couldn't be there; he has picked my drunk ass up from the bar on occasion after a night out with the girls; and helped fix my roof when it was leaking uncontrollably and damaging the ceiling. However the most recent act of kindness that Mike has bestowed upon me was when he found out that I didn't have a Christmas tree to put up. He drove all over town going from store to store until he was able to get the last tree that Canadian Tire had for sale, and brought it by the house last weekend. The kids and I were delighted and we put it up right away. He knows I don't have the money to pay him back yet, but he knows I will eventually.

Another person whom I feel particularly indebted to right now is Ber. I met him online one night when I was checking my emails on a popular dating site. I was just about to log off when he IM'd me. We chatted amicably for a bit and then exchanged email addies. We met for a drink, then lost touch for about a month before reconnecting, and have been enjoying each other's company ever since. This man is incredibly generous, sensitive, loving and thoughtful. He loves to come over to my place and cook dinner for us. He buys all of the ingredients and leaves whatever is left in my fridge. He'll help me clean up afterwards so I don't have to wake up to a messy kitchen. He was very concerned when Magnus became ill and would call me every night for an update and to see how I was doing. His support during that time meant the world to me. However I am completely overwhelmed by his most recent gesture of surprising me with Toys R Us gift cards so that I can get presents for my kids. He knew I was working with a very fixed amount of money...most of which had been donated to me from other people who didn't know what the boys wanted, and asked me to buy things for them. I had told the kids that due to kitty's illness, Mummy wasn't going to be able to put much under the tree this year. My younger son even offered to give me money to help pay for kitty, which touched me deeply. I am completely in this wonderful man's debt, and I feel very lucky to have him in my life.

My bio father, Eric, who just came into my life about six years ago, has been an enthusiastic, loving and generous parent without whom I don't know where I'd be today. From the moment we were first reunited in November 2000, he has been an excited and eager father who gave of himself constantly. He brought me into his family and made me feel as though I truly belonged. He helped me get on my feet financially when my last relationship ended in 2003, and has always done what he could to make my life easier and more enjoyable. He bought me my first digital camera last Christmas, which spurred my current passion for photography and Flickr. He enjoys seeing me happy and getting the most out of life, and for that I am so grateful.

Others who have touched me recently are my mum, who knows I don't eat very well because I won't cook for myself, and saves a plate for me every now and then; my birth mother Joanne, who came to visit recently and bought my groceries that week; my new boss, Ciane, who paid for my dinner at the company Christmas party when the company announced that we wouldn't be getting any funding for holiday parties this year, and I was going to send my regrets because I didn't have to money for my meal; my coworker, Krista, who knew I was having a Christmas tree dilemma and brought over a tree stand for me when I thought of getting a cheap spruce from a roadside vendor to save money, but didn't have a stand to put it in.

Maybe it's that people are more generous this time of year, or maybe it's that I just seem to notice it more. What ever it is, I want to take a moment to give thanks to the powers that be for all of these wonderful people, and hope that soon I will be able to repay them for their wonderful acts of kindness.