So much to be thankful for these days!

This Thursday is Thanksgiving Day and families all over the country are getting ready to sit down, break bread, and be thankful for each other. This year, my Thanksgiving will be small, just myself, my hubby without the license, and my not blood but no less important, sister. It will be the typical get stuffed on turkey and the trimmings, and watch a lot of football on television. I will miss my Scott family dinner with my brothers and sister and I will miss seeing my kids this year. This is hard for me, but they all understand. I have started a new job and I have to work Black Friday. In the retail business as most of you know, Black Friday is huge and I just didn't want to turn down the extra money.

As I was falling asleep last night, I started thinking about where I am in life, and how far I have come in the last six years. In June of 2009 I left my husband, and my adult children to start a new life. I left behind a lot of drama, fighting, addiction, and depression. The only thing I regretted was the fact that I left my children, but as I said they were adults at the time. My youngest had just turned 19 and the oldest was 25 so they were all well on their way to their own lives. I left to go live with a man I had met on the internet 6 months prior and I was frightened.

In the past 6 years I have gone through many changes, some good, and others not so good, but all leading to where I am now. My job, the only one that I have known since I was 19, gone in 2013. I worked my way up from customer service representative, to manager and ultimately owner for 9 years. The economy took it's financial toll on the business and in 2013 I closed it. I then had zero income for over 2 years. Luckily my hubby has social security and my sister has disability income so we survived. There were times though that the only way we made it month to month was to visit the pawn shop and drop off a bracelet, only to pick it back up when money came back in. We never starved, all utilities were paid, and basic necessities always were accounted for, but old back bills like dental and medical were piling up. It wasn't bad, not compared to when I lived with my ex husband ( that is another story), but it was stagnant and if there was a major emergency we would not have been able to handle it without help.

This year, October 1 to be exact, I became employed by a major retail store. The work is hard, there is a lot to do with a very skeleton crew, and I have much to learn. The main thing is I am employed again! I have money going into my social security account which at my age is very important. Plus I LOVE working, especially with people. Yes retail is hard, and yes sometimes the customers can be downright nasty, but the good ones far outweigh the bad. I love being able to lead someone down the aisle to what they are looking for, or saying hello to my regulars and see their smiles. This makes my aching legs and back all worthwhile at the end of the day.

So, now I get a paycheck every two weeks again. It isn't huge by any means but it is extra money. I am now able to start paying my accountant whom I owe money for from 2 years ago. I can pay on my dental bill and get my property taxes under control. We are even discussing saving up for a second used car which we really need. My credit which had been destroyed by my ex's spending habits and declaring bankruptcy has started improving. I got my first credit card since my divorce a few months ago and I am able to pay it off every month. My health is improving. I have lost 42 lbs this year so far of my goal of 50 and I will lose another 50 next year. Hopefully besides taking all that extra weight off my heart, my blood pressure will improve so I can get off my medicine.

I have a great relationship with my two daughters and I am so proud of them. My older girl is expressing interest in buying her first home, and the younger is finally in a decent relationship. Both of them are working hard and living in their own places. I miss having them around, but we talk almost on a daily basis so I don't feel like I miss much. My son, well he is in a dark place right now, and I pray every day that he will over come his demons so we can have a relationship again. I am his mother, and I love him with all my heart but he has to make the changes needed and I cannot enable him. That is the only hard part of my life right now.

I even have an amicable relationship with my ex husband now. He has given up his alcohol and has remarried. We both have grown and gone our ways but we will always have our children in common and a lot of memories. I wish him nothing but good in his new life.

So yes, this Thanksgiving I have much to be thankful for. I have my health, a new job, a wonderful family and good friends. I have this blog to review stuff on but also on occasion to share with all of you. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with good food, good times and love.