GIVING THANKS THIS THANKSGIVING

WEEK 25: There are many reasons to be thankful and I appreciate the simple luxuries of life everyday. Things like hot water at the turn of a handle and fresh coffee every morning. I’m ever thankful for my family and friends. But this year has been a bit unique.

The things I’m thankful this Thanksgiving are not the sort of things that have ever made my list before.

Top 5 Reasons to Give Thanks this Thanksgiving

1. I”m thankful to have an apartment rental with unbelievable flexibility! It took away all the  worry of where we would live month-to-month.

• This was a big one. Finding temporary housing that allowed us to rent month-to-month without signing a full year lease was a lucky break

2. I’m thankful my house did not crumble or come apart during the lifting phase of my house project.

• Our house was built in the 1920’s and has had additions attached to it. I sorta envisioned the back of our house coming detached from the main part of the house during the elevation process. But thankfully, it did not. 

3. I’m thankful to be wrapping up this seems-like-it-would-never-end project and to be moving back home soon.

• The boys, really all of us, want to be home for Christmas. It will be a scramble to move back home and set up for Christmas, but happy to make it happen.

4. I’m thankful for being able to make lemonade out of lemons – at least most of the time. For example,

• “Hey, kids, this apartment adventure will be just like a long vacation.”
• or “I was in the mood to change all the paint colors in my house anyway,” (after realizing most of our walls sustained cracks and would need to be repaired and painted).    
• or “I’ve always wanted to get to know some of the public officials in town and now I do!” (the building inspector, the city attorney, the city manager, the city planner, all the members of the zoning board and all the members of the architectural review board. I even had a change to talk to the head of FEMA for the state of New York – good times).

5. But most of all, this year I”m thankful that when the waters crept higher and higher today, I had no fear of flooding.

• That. Is. AWESOME!

The above picture is the same brook that floods my house periodically. It was taken at a location down stream from where I live and although it did not breach its banks today, it came close. Had my house not already been elevated, this would have been a watch-the-weather-all-day event while tactically planning how to move items out of harms way if indeed the rain continued.

For that I give many thanks!