What am I most thankful for?

I’m sure by now you’ve all heard about the discovery of the planned terror attack against Heathrow airport. (Read more about this here) Boy, I can just imagine that the U.K. and U.S. authorities must be heaving collective sighs of relief until now because of this discovery. Terrorists were in the "final stages" of a plot to simultaneously blow up as many as 10 jets leaving Britain for the U.S., sending the planes and thousands of passengers into the Atlantic Ocean. I could not even fathom the destruction and the psychological damage that such a terror attack could instill.

In view of this development, I decided to come up with a list of five (5) things that I’m most thankful for. None of the gooey “I’m so thankful for the air we breathe and the food we eat” stuff. This list features the things that I’m thankful for – despite an unfortunate incident that happened in the past. Feel free to make a list of your own. Here it goes…

(1) I’m thankful that I’m still alive. Sheesh! I know what you’re thinking. I just said none of the gooey stuff, right? Read on first before judging. I’m thankful that I’m still alive, despite the mild stroke I had at the age of 29. Yes, folks, a mild stroke. Fortunately, the stroke was reversed immediately and I was able to return to work after a month and a half of rest. This experience changed my outlook in life. I’m more appreciative of the people around me. And I know that even though my family is undergoing some difficulties right now, I am still thankful because I get to experience these things with them. Any problem is surmountable as long as we pray and help one another.

(2) I’m thankful that my mom is still alive. No folks, my mom did not undergo a stroke or a heart attack. I do not want to dwell on the fact that my dad and brother passed away already. While their demise caused untold grief and heartache in our family, I cannot change the fact that they’re already at peace with our Creator. I want to celebrate life. I want to celebrate that I still get to spend time with my mom, my sister and her family and my husband.

(3) I am thankful that I’ve found my soul mate. I do not regret that I went through several heartaches in the past. These experiences have molded me into becoming the person that I am now – more appreciative of my husband and more understanding of the differences between a man and a woman. I’m not saying that I’m perfect. I am still unreasonable sometimes (haha…just ask my husband). But I’m thankful that I made those mistakes with other people in order to prepare me for my relationship with my husband now.

(4) I am thankful for the lessons I learned in joining past badminton tournaments (I joined a grand total of 4), even though I was not able to win in these tournaments. (Note: I was about to win in the third tournament that I joined, however, this was the time I had the mild stroke. Napurnada pa.) The experiences I gained and the lessons I’ve learned made me discover my inner self. Sorry folks, I am not the competitive type. I enjoy the journey more than the destination. But don’t you get worried for my sake, I still hope to win at least a single tournament before I hang my racket up for good.

(5) Finally, I am most thankful that it’s Friday once more! Hahaha…Four days of stress-filled work days are worth it. When Friday comes, there’s just something in the air which soothes me and tells me that nice things are going to happen in my life this weekend. After all, I get to spend the weekend with my family.

“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.” - taken from “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran.