Sufficiently Thankful?

   It has been fifty-three days since my transplant.  Day +53 finds me still bald, still underweight, and still easily tired.  The notebook that the transplant team bequeathed to me at the start of this process says,

"Staying active helps keep your lungs, heart, bones, and muscles stronger.  Walking is especially good for you...At first, you will get tired fast.  This is normal after going home, but you MUST work on it. Space out activities, do light tasks first, and schedule rest periods into your day.  Push yourself little by little-listen to your body!  Avoid exhaustion.  It could be up to six months before your stamina returns."

   Six months?  Really?  That puts me at Thanksgiving.  Whew...I hope things are somewhat back to normal before that.  Patience...patience...
   I try to remind my children around Thanksgiving time that we should be thankful people more than just on one day a year. Maybe now would be a good time to remind myself.  There is nothing inherently special about the fourth Thursday of November other than a lot of turkeys die in preparation of family gatherings.  But have I been sufficiently thankful the other 364 days of this year?  Despite my health concerns, I do have much to be thankful for.  God has blessed us incredibly this year.  The list generated by counting my blessings is long.  But I have this tendency lately to only look ahead and think, "I can hardly wait until I can be normal again."  I forget.  Remember this story from Luke 17?

  Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” 
   Check yourself today. Be thankful. Even a bald, tired, underweight old man can find a lot to be thankful for.  I just have to be patient and look around to remind myself of this.