Be thankful, because you can

I was going to write today on Facebook what I was thankful for -- on Thanksgiving -- but who am I kidding? There is not enough room on FB for that, so on the blog I go.

I realize that I am a little late in doing so tonight, but I have pretty much been in bed all day sick. That, I'm not thankful for.

But I am thankful that, although I kind of ruined my Mom's Thanksgiving get-together being sick, I am thankful that she is still with us after our little scare this summer and that I was here this week and my mother was able to take care of me. You're never too old to have your mom take care of you.

I am thankful that the Rapid City Journal had enough faith in me to hire me, bringing me to the Black Hills again after being away for 30 years. I say that because it became apparent that nobody else in Wyoming had the same faith in me despite all that I accomplished there.

I wouldn't have been able to come to Rapid City if not for my brother, Ralph, and his wife, Sharon, as they have brought me into their home without hesitation. With my house in Laramie, there is no way I could afford two residences. Thank you, Ralph and Sharon.

I'm thankful for all of my friends and especially my family who have always been there for me.

I'm thankful that Teresa's parents, Frank and Pat Poindexter, still consider me part of the family and call me on occasion just to see how I am doing.

I'm thankful for my step-daughter, Cassie, for keeping things together -- including the house -- even though times have been rough on her as well. She lost her mother and has been missing her just as much as anybody. Cassie, I know your mother is proud of the way you have become an adult, just as we all are.

I am thankful for having Teresa in my life the last few years. There isn't a day that I don't think about her and wish that she was still with us. I know she was in so much pain in her life, especially at the end, and she is in a better place now. Still, I can't help but feel guilty that I wish her here for my own selfish purposes, especially at this time of the year.

I keep on promising myself that I am going to just think of the good times at the holidays and in general, rather than the bad, because Teresa so loved the holidays. It's hard, though, because our last memories of Teresa was spending the last three years of her life in hospitals during Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year is especially tough because we had to take her back to the hospital on Christmas Eve.

A couple of months before she passed, Teresa recorded what she thought was going to be a first chapter of a book that she wanted to write to help others dealing with similar problems. It ended up being all that she recorded. One line stuck with me.

"Enjoy life, because you can."

For Teresa, it think it also meant, "Be thankful, because you can."