by Mary Rose-Sellers

Created on: December 18, 2009   Last Updated: January 05, 2010

Some time ago, someone asked me what I am thankful for this past year.  I had to stop and think and reminisce this year about all the events that happened to me.  It was an eventful year, full of tears, fears, death, illness and laughter.  When I look back at 2009, there is one thing that I am thankful for and that is mine and my family’s health.  It wasn’t like this prior to 2009.  As every other American family we were too wrapped up in our way of living.  We didn’t think twice or were thankful that another year went by and we were healthy.  We were not diagnosed with some dreadful disease that cannot be cured.  We went on with our lives and as the economy allowed, we spent money on trivial and material things.  My family grew and we were happy that everyone was doing well, financially.  But we took our good health for granted.  We never gave it a second thought.  So this year with this upcoming holiday season and with all the unexpected events that took place in my life in 2009,  I look at things very differently. 

In the past, the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays came and went and I never gave it much thought.  To me, the Thanksgiving holiday, with the exception of Christmas, was just another long weekend away from work, trying to catch up with housework and begin the Christmas shopping.  Christmas holiday is another story.  We always celebrated Christmas but we never put much thought into the Thanksgiving holiday.  With both my husband and myself working, the Thanksgiving weekend was a few extra days trying to catch up on little things. 

And the years came and went; my daughters grew up, got married and have a home of their own.  This Thanksgiving holiday I looked at Thanksgiving in a different way that I ever looked at it in the past.  This past February I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  When I found out about it, I never thought that I’d live to see my daughter get married this past August, let alone celebrate another Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday.  I went through the chemo, and radiation and despite the doctor’s assurances that I will live to be eighty, I thought that my time had come. 

Now, six months after my last chemo treatment, I celebrated Thanksgiving and am looking forward to celebrating Christmas with my family.  My diagnosis has made me look at every day and every holiday

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