50 Women Over 50 Express their Gratitude on Thanksgiving Day

Every year on Thanksgiving Day someone will ask you what you are grateful for. This is fitting.

At its heart, Thanksgiving is a holiday about celebrating life. It is about remembering the things that are truly important and cherishing the special people in our lives. It is about celebrating our connections and spending time in our community. In short, Thanksgiving is about expressing gratitude.

Women over 50 have experienced their share of challenges. Despite, or perhaps because of this, we understand that being thankful can help us to stay strong through tough times. Gratitude is a lens through which we choose to see the world. It is an anchor in life’s turbulent sea.

The author Anne Lamott once said that there is nothing like walking with a dying person to get life in perspective and to stop thinking about “how thin your lashes have become or how wide your bottom.” So, let’s be truly grateful today. Let’s celebrate the wisdom that we have earned. Let’s remember and cherish the people we have lost. And, most of all, let’s be thankful for the people who make our lives special!

I recently asked the women in our Sixty and Me community “what are the things that you are most grateful for?” I thought that it would be appropriate to share their answers with you now, on Thanksgiving Day. Please read them and then tell us what you are grateful for today in the comments section at the end of this article.

• Lisa – For three wonderful children that drive me nuts and grandchildren that do no wrong
• Sandi – My children, my husband and most important – getting my heart back
• Jane – Having the courage to attend a presentation on planning for dying
• Lise – The Sixty and Me community for being there when we are blue and lonely
• Kathleen – That my husband and I have survived. 9 children, 4 tours of Iraq (by 2 sons) and now 5 wonderful grandchildren
• Jacqueline – Surviving cancer
• Diane – Pretty much everything
• Bern – Getting older, wiser and assertive, without being discourteous or uncivil
• Mary – A healthy and peaceful life – and something new every day
• Terry – My soul sisters
• Judith – Recovery and my grandchildren
• Mathilde – My health, husband, son, family and friends
• Lilian – My husband and family – and their good health!
• Anne – My health, my hubby, my kids, my gorgeous grand kiddies and two fur babies
• Regine – My Health, my husband and our daughters – and this beautiful land Austria
• Paula – My beautiful grandchildren, our family and our health
• Geneva – My family and home
• Rose – My family, friends and health
• Amy – My God and my family
• K – My good health. My family and friends. My strong faith. My dogs and the music that makes me dance.
• Ruth – My health, my family and my friends
• Sue – Good health
• Cori – My husband
• Sybille – My husband of 46 years, a wonderful daughter, my son in law and two sweet grandchildren
• Becky – My friends and loved ones, my health and working in a free country
• Alda – My son!
• Juetta – Good health and happiness. I would do it all over again after 39 years
• Laura – Family, especially my grandchildren and the smiles they give me
• Joan – Friends and freedom
• Sandra – My sons, daughter-in-law, grandchildren, friends and church family
• Patricia – My family, especially my brother, who makes me laugh when I feel blue
• Candace – My grandchildren and good health
• Giovanna – My faith
• Marian – Two loving sons, a roof over my head, food to eat, and my dear friends
• Marta – My family, friends and health
• Carol – My kids, my friends, my health and my new man!
• Sharon – Having enough food and money
• Linda – Seeing the good in everyone
• Lucie – Happy ThxGiving to our American sisters! The thing I am most grateful for is my husband and son
• Patricia – My children and grandchildren, who light up my life
• Bernadette – My Health, friends and family, a roof over my head, my animals and so much more!
• Peg – For my health and my pension
• Soozie – For still being here!
• Lynda – My positive attitude
• To be able to exchange ideas with such a fabulous group of women!
• Linda – To get a second chance at life after illness
• Maureen – Family. Love. Prosperity.
• Susie – To live alone after the loss of my beloved husband four years ago
• Michelle – For becoming a grandmother. It is wonderful!
• Gladys – I’m grateful for LIFE ITSELF!

By the time we reach our 50s and 60s, we have so much to be grateful for! I hope that you will take the time today to remember what is really important. Celebrate your good health. Be thankful for your friends and family. Most of all, be grateful for being alive at such an exciting time, surrounded by people you love. We are so blessed to be here right now, in this moment.

What are you grateful for today? Do you have any special plans for Thanksgiving this year? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below and don’t forget to like and share this article if you enjoyed it.