Thankful

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, hubby and I will be in the kitchen cooking dinner for the family. This is the time of year that I reflect on being thankful.

Dad with his 80 star quilt

 First, I'm thankful to report that my dad whose doctors told him he had one to six months to live as he had a terminal lung disease in February 2015, has beat that timeline. Although his health continues to fail, his brain is still sharp and we continue to visit each evening about what happened in each of our days!

Daughter "A" and me at a fall football game

The "grands" "J" and "K" with Papa 

Second, as I've written, I had two arthroscopic knee surgeries to repair meniscus tears. The first was in December on my right knee and the second was in April on the left knee. Unfortunately, I had too much arthritis under my knee caps for the surgery to be successful. Yesterday, I had my third gel injection in each knee. I hope that the injections will provide enough space under the knee cap so that I can extend my leg without my knee catching. I hope that I will be able to return to my daily two mile morning walks which I have greatly missed! I am thankful that I was a candidate for the gel therapy and I am thankful that physical therapy has helped me regain some function. I am hopeful that I will be able to kneel again. I am a candidate for knee replacement; but, I hope to delay those surgeries for as long as possible!

Third, I'm thankful for my family. My husband has supported me through the knee challenges and continues to support my quilting habit. Our daughters are two terrific women. Getting to spend time with them is so precious to us both. 

"N" and Dad at a London Market

Our oldest daughter and her husband live about half an hour from us. They are extra special because they are the parents of the two granddaughters who play with us on Mondays and Wednesdays. I often blog about their antics and how I'm doing my best to inflict them with the quilting bug!

Our youngest daughter currently lives in London, England. We visited her there last summer and I blogged about our trip. I'm planning to visit her next year. . .not sure when; but, although we FaceTime each other at least once a week, I really appreciate those in the flesh visits which don't happen but a couple times a year.

Finally, I'm thankful for my quilting friends. Thanks for reading my blog. A special thank you to all of you who leave a comment! Thank you to those I get together with to stitch or who offer suggestions about a project or who encourage me to try something new or different. 

So as we dine tomorrow with family and friends, let us all take a moment to at least be thankful for getting together to share a meal and great conversation!