September 24, 2003 8:59 P.M.

Special People

This picture is for my dear web friend Bonnie who loves �cloud� photos. This is one of our local sunsets, and was taken by another good friend of mine who stepped outside her front door to capture the fading light.

I have spent time today thinking about some of the special people in my life. I hesitate to mention any individuals, because it would be only the tip of the friendship iceberg, and everyone would be looking to see if they were mentioned. So I will refrain�but I do appreciate you all.

Tomorrow I am attending a �goodbye luncheon� for a lady. I don�t think I know her personally, enough to classify her as a special friend, but she is a special person. I made mention of her in a previous journal entry. She and her husband were able to get out of Romania and immigrate to the States, just after their government�s coup. She is a highly educated lady who works in the architectural department of the company where I was formerly employed. She is gracious, kind and very considerate of her fellow workers. She studied hard and just recently became a full-fledged American Citizen and has been extremely proud of this accomplishment.

She is one of those immigrants who have been the backbone of America�s foundations. Last week, I heard that she and her husband are reluctantly choosing to return to Romania, just because of the incredible character, which they have. Their aging and ill parents need care. They are giving up their newfound lives and careers, and returning because of compassion and love.

It is definitely our loss�a special person indeed!

This has been a year in which I have learned appreciation for many things. I have tried to write a �Gratitude Journal� several times in past years. Usually the time reserved for recording things for which I was grateful, �was just before bedtime. Well, you know how that goes. By the time I would wind down and crawl under the covers, I was much too exhausted to be grateful for anything but the prospect of a good night�s sleep.

But the main problem was, the word �gratitude� just didn�t fit my personality. It sounded a little lofty, for me.

Last year I discovered my word. It may not sound very different to you, but it really hit home, to me. It was �appreciate�. It sounded weird for me to say that I had gratitude, but I have been placed in a �position� in life �to really appreciate a lot of things.

I appreciate people going out of their way to come by the house, pick me up and drive me places. Sometimes, they just take me along with them on their own errands. I appreciate having incredible tools to work with, just to keep on with life in a normal manner. I appreciate being able to enjoy really noticing the scenery, as I am now a passenger, while others drive. I appreciate financial miracles which have enabled me to pay off my home, buy some much needed major appliances, anticipate some long needed repairs, �and on and on. I have even grown to appreciate retirement! I really didn�t at first.

I appreciate the vast amount of audio books available. I appreciate the fact that I have inexpensive, but excellent workers which help me with the gardening, cleaning, and other areas of home upkeep.

I appreciate having some of the greatest �kids� in the world. They are wonderful. And they are there for me. They are special people!

There is much, much more�.I appreciate realizing all the things I have, to appreciate!

And I appreciate your company. Thanks for reading!

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