October 9, 2012

All good things must come to an end, someone said.  That was the case one year ago today. It was up early to catch a train to Gatwick Airport and then the flight home to Florida. It was great to see the face of a friend waiting to pick up my stuff and drive me home. My adventure was coming to an end.

It's taken the better part of that year to rest up and readjust to life in America. I finally can see progress toward acclimating to retirement and the pursuit of new ideas and enjoyment of familiar pleasures.

Thanks for accompanying me on this two weeks of remembrance. Even though the pictures have been in a Picasa album for most of the past year, I never felt I had done them justice.  It has been fun looking at them again and choosing which ones to put in each post. It has been especially good to remember all of the people involved and their willingness to not only put me up, but put up with me.

Reasons to be Thankful

There are many reasons for us to  be thankful most days, but it's nice to be back in a country where there is a whole day set aside for thankfulness.  Personally, I have a roof and enough food and clothes to get by and I have friends and family. My friends now are found in many different places around the world which makes for variety and interesting experiences and sometimes the opportunity to visit somewhere I've not been before.

To many Americans the holiday means:

• a day off work, or if your fortunate, a long weekend
• the beginning of the real shopping frenzy before Christmas
• football (American)
• FOOD - turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberries and pumpkin pie

Here in Florida some years it is quite warm, I can remember more than one year when I wore shorts to dinner. This year it's only in the low 70's, which I think is quite refreshing.  This is our dry season and the sun shines brightly most days.

Are you able to think about what you're thankful for today, even if you aren't American or in America? Many families here will spend a few moments before their meal to ask each one around the table to name one thing they are thankful for.  If you found yourself at one of those meals, what would you say?