Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday. Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks. It is the one American holiday which gifts are not required. It is a holiday to be spent with loved ones; whether those loved ones are family or friends it makes no difference. I have been so blessed because I spent Thanksgiving with my family and some very special friends. It was a magnificent day and I have so much to be thankful for.

In the past I took this holiday and many other holiday and for that matter many other days for granted. I didn't stop and give thanks for the wondrous blessings in my life. I would like to take this time to thank everyone for their support. Without this support I would be in a very dark and desperate place. Now I am in a place with much hope and happiness. My appreciation for everyone has grown so much and thank you for my the bottom of my heart. I love everyone.

I don't know why it has taken me so long to understand how good I have it in life but I am thankful for finally learning. I was able to spend this Thanksgiving with fantastic people and I have so many things to be thankful for. I am thankful for my family without them I do not exist. I am thankful for my wonderful friends who have stood behind me through this terrible ordeal. I am thankful for God without his guidance my life would be dark and would lack purpose. I am thankful for the roof over my head, the food in the pantry and the love that surrounds me. Without all of these things life would be very difficult.

As I head into the holiday season it is very difficult not to reflect back on holidays past but they are gone and are fond memories in my heart and mind. The key though is that they are gone forever and I cannot linger in those thoughts. It is nice to visit but it is a very detrimental place if I were to stay. Staying in the past means I am not learning or growing in my recovery. Yes, I am recovering and will continue to recover from a compulsive gambling addiction for the rest of my life. I must maintain this thought today because over the past 8 months and 27 days I have found out so much about myself and I am starting to like the results. I cannot forget what I have done to those people who love me or I am bound to make the same mistakes. These same mistakes would be catastrophic because it would end in despair.

Today I have hope and that is all that matters to me. I have hope in my family, friends and all that surrounds me. Having this hope means the world to me because it makes each day so much more enjoyable. Without hope brings that despair and despair is a destructive force. I am trying to stay away from destructive forces each and every day and concentrate on the positive. These positives give me strength to live each and every day with a purpose and with the Grace of God. I am trying to get out of the way and let God guide me forward. Sometimes it is hard because my mind works in very strange ways but without this guidance, strength and hope I would move backwards. I make a choice each and every day to move forward not backward. By moving forward it takes me one step closer to the true person that I am. I am finding this person one step at a time.

Again, I would like to thank everyone for allowing me to be a part of their lives. I am so blessed to have all these amazing people in my life; I hope everyone had a safe, happy and superb Thanksgiving.