I am simply amazed with people, once again.  Between Internet community and the people in my life I am just overcome with how much good there is in this world.  The past 24 hours has been a whirlwind of airline travel, airports (do other people call it “Scareport” or is that just me?), happenchance meetings, showing up as a surprise guest in a land far away, and, well, lots of good food and drink, I just cannot help but feel exceptionally blessed.  Which is such a difficult yet fortunate feeling to have right now, in a time when my heart is hurting so badly for situations that render most of us helpless, save for our generosity.

Just one example of that is my last post. As of that post —along with all those other wonderful bloggers— two days ago, thousands of dollars have been raised for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation in the name of Brandy and her guy.

Check it out: http://www.loveharder.org/

I know there are so, so many ways this world is weighing on our hearts right now, and so many people that need help, so thank you so much to anyone who was able to give, participate, or send up a prayer. I don’t know if you’re the praying type, but I am, and that has been a lot of what’s keeping me busy these days. It really and truly means a lot. Thank you, each and every one of you who took time out of their day to read those posts, watch that video.

A lot of times, we find ourselves too busy to be people that look for causes. That is common. I understand. But sometimes, you guys, causes find us, and I think there’s a reason for that. I really, really do.

My uncle Joe used to use a phrase all the time that I just hated. I didn’t understand it, it sounded weird. My naive, childish self didn’t like it.  “My heart swells,” he’d say, in reaction to something beautiful or amazing.  I didn’t make sense to me then, and while my uncle Joe is still pretty weird (hi, Uncle Joe!), it makes complete sense to me now.

And every time I go back and watch that video, I’m reminded of what the power of a few people that care can really do in this world. My heart swells.

I watch it and I think of how uncomfortable I am on camera, how my voice combined with my mannerisms ON CAMERA is in the Top Five Things I Do Not Like About Life, but nonetheless, it was so worth it.  And, as you might have noticed if you watched, I appeared with my three-year-old nephew, Ivan, so as to distract most viewers with an adorable kid. I think it worked, mostly.

This wasn’t without it’s bribery and multiple takes, however. Come on, he’s three. Singing a song he’s never heard before, with me, on camera, on cue…. well, let’s just say it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t easy for either of us, actually.

Here’s an outtake from the SEVERAL takes we had.  I call this:

I Don’t Sing No Friggin’ Love Songs

(Also, I apparently still have not learned how to take a cue.  Forgive how absolutely stupid I can look, and without even trying.)

Ivan and Me singing, 2 from Lesley G on Vimeo.

Oh, so dumb.  But still, my heart swells.

This Year I’m thankful for growth, love, peace in my heart, perspective, family, friends, health, and reflection.

This Month I’m thankful for support, encouragement, change, anticipation, my body, my mind.

This Week I’m thankful for the sun, sweaters, music, and plans.

Today I’m thankful for rest, communication with friends, connection, and hope.

In this very moment I’m thankful to realize I have it, why I have it, and what a miracle that really is.

And always, I’m thankful for the people I get to share parts of my life with right here on this site. It’s something that’s never less than important to me, and I thank you for spending your valuable time here, with me for a few minutes.

For the next few days, to round out this November of daily posts, I’m going to be sharing only photos. So much goes by in a year, and as someone who takes thousands of photos, I want to share a few.

Oh, and I’m also pretty thankful for her, my current and constant foot warmer:

This is going to be a unique Thanksgiving for me. I mean, it’s not like they all aren’t unique in some way, but in the last couple of weeks, I’ve been forced, through my own doing, to look around me and decide what really matters.

I guess we spend a lot of time doing this, I mean those of us who over analyze (you call it obsess, I call it growth– tomato, tomahto) and spent the better part of our twenties wracking our brains do, anyway. But this Thanksgiving I feel like I’m giving myself a little bit of a break. It’s not really intentional, just a by-product of voluntarily turning your own life upside-down, and of not knowing what’s ahead. Of accepting that I don’t know what’s ahead.

What I’m saying is, I can sit here now, in my home, and know that what I’m thankful for, what I’m blessed to have, are the very things I’m investing myself and my time in every single day. The moment I was able to look around and see that will forever be burned into my memory.

When I started counting my blessings,
my whole life turned around.
Willie Nelson

Say what you will, I adore that guy.

A surprise to no one, communicating how you feel in a certain moment or time without coming across as having no understanding of your situation at all is difficult.  Anyone who writes on a blog, or perhaps anywhere, knows this. Reality is perception, right?  And aside from leading or concluding with a thousand disclaimers, there really isn’t any perfect way of saying “I know how this sounds, and I also know what you’re going to say.” Even if I did do that, it wouldn’t always work, either.

So when I sit here today, at the start of another week, it’s going to seem even more confusing when I start talking about how things are good. It’s hard to communicate that without sounding like I’m riding some scary roller coaster over here.  While, yes, some days I am—I suppose we all are—it’s also part of what I try to do when I sit down and start typing. I try to somehow stay true to the moment and those feelings of that moment because, if nothing else, I know one thing for certain: they will not come around again.

Those exact feelings of watching the evening summer sun hit the trees, and that longing for what’s next that’s fueled by those winding paths and the clink of dishes on someone’s back porch are never just as they were that night, at that time. I’m never seeing and hearing those things as the same person again. I think by sitting down, typing exactly what’s on my mind, with no disclaimers in sight, I honor that moment, even if only for myself.

I guess I’d say that’s the point of doing this at all. It’s strange because I know there’s such a small portion of people I’ll ever know here in this place, but there’s something special about it. That “small” is relative, because it often feels HUGE.  Writing it is only part of the journey. There’s a connection here and there’s something about sharing those never-again moments that makes them last.  There’s something about reading about someone’s weekend or babies or vacation that creates an experience that is like no other.

And if that’s too much emotion for a Monday, we can always rely on my lack of grace to bring things back to normal.  Over the weekend, I sat in wet paint. And no one told me, so I walked around for a good two hours with a couple narrow white stripes on my butt. And that moment and all those feelings of making that happy little discovery, too, will never come around again. Thankfully, it can live on the Internet forever.

Well I hope everyone enjoyed the last weekend of football for the season. I tell you what, I am sure going to miss my Sunday afternoon naps, or at least being lulled into them by the commentating voice of Al or Boomer or Dan, even if I couldn’t tell you which was which.  But there is just something about those jumpy, sporadic play-by-play updates with the roar of the crowd in the background that comforts me.

One thing I do appreciate about professional sports, though, is that there’s a winner and a loser.  Not everyone gets a trophy, because someone was better and someone worked harder and that’s just the way life can be sometimes.

In other cases, though, we do all win.  This past Saturday, January 31st, was the last day for my blog anniversary contest.  While it’s no surprise that I wasn’t overwhelmed with entries, I really loved doing this contest.  A few of you, whether you left comments or not, chose to email me and share your stories with me about how your life has been affected by cancer, and what you have done to join the fight against cancer and how you’ve helped spread awareness.  I’m so touched that people took the time to share their stories with me, and so proud to know that all of you are out there doing something.

And to those folks who joined me in the Bonus Round of the contest by making their own donation: THANK YOU!  You are amazing.  Some of you sent emails that said something like “I only donated X” or “it was only a small donation.”  I’m going to tell you right now to leave that word ONLY out of your vocabulary when it comes to contributions like this.  There is no only when it comes to the fight against cancer, folks.  There is no small.  It is all big and it all counts.

There will one day be that donation that funds that research that pushes us further that brings us to cures, and being part of that counts.  I believe that.

Now, for the contest winner.  There were a total of 19 comments on the giveaway post. So, I wrote the numbers 1-19 on a piece of paper:

Then, I cut each number into it’s own piece:

Then, I put all the numbers in this cute little apple-shaped dish my grandmother gave me:

Don’t grandmothers just come up with the cutest stuff?

Then, I stirred the numbers around with my hand:

My odd-looking, alien-like hand.

Then, I drew a number out of the dish:

And the winner was comment number 10, which was left by Mr. JustACoolCat.   So, Mr. JustA gets to go to the LiveStrong.org site and pick out any piece of Livestrong gear (up to $50) and it will be sent to him for his very own.  Now, I’m not trying to make any decisions for Mr. JustA, but OMG, loooooook at this and this.  What wee little bits of LiveStrong cuteness. Aww.

Now, depending on what Mr. JustA chooses, I will use the total dollar amount of that item, double it and then add it to the donations I’ve already matched for those who participated in the bonus round.  That total came to $60, so the total for the entire donation will be over $100, and could be as high as $160.  There is no big and small, friends. It is all big.

But wait!  There’s more!  Stick with me a minute longer, because this is where it gets even more interesting!  I don’t know how many of you have heard of the blogger that goes by Fatty over at FatCyclist.com, but you should check him out. Pronto.  I’ve been a long time Fatty reader and his was one of the blogs that encouraged me into starting my own. (Sidebar:  A few years ago, when Fatty had his blog on an MSNSpaces site, I remember reading a post he’d written about trying to eat healthier and he said something to the effect of “I could live off cold cereal and Mexican food forever.”  Right then and there, I knew I’d found a good blog. It was speaking to my soul.)

Over all of that, though, I’ve come to admire and respect Fatty and his family, and their community and friends so much for their tenacity and strong spirit, and for what he’s shared with the world as his wife, Susan, fights her own battle with cancer.

It is for that reason that the final dollar amount that comes out of this contest will go to the LiveStrong foundation through Fatty’s Livestrong Challenge.  You, too, should go check out the challenge.  They’re moving right along, and they could use our help.

Thanks so much to everyone, again, who commented, donated, emailed, and just for coming around here in general.  A lot of times I think about how if I’d have known about the people I’d discover through blogging, I would have started years before I did.  But now that I do, you’re certainly the best reason to keep going. It is not about how many people come here or how the stats add up.  All that matters is that I’ve discovered you at all; that keeps me going. That connection means so much to me, and I hope you know that.

There is no big or small here. It all counts.

Oh, if I even began to tell you about my day yesterday you’d be exhausted. Or maybe bored, but that’s just a detail. A small detail. I mean, first there was the part where I couldn’t drag myself to get out of bed at 4:00 a.m. to run and so I slept until 5:00 and loved every minute of it. But then that, of course, led to the part where all I think about all day is how I’m going to get that run in later. So then that leads to the part where I fly through my work, eat lunch at my desk, fly through some more and try to get home to run before my doctor’s appointment.

And do you notice how I skipped right over work, because hasn’t that become the elephant in the room? The elephant that no one talks about [on the Internet] but everyone knows is there, standing, constantly leading you to think that, hmmm, living in cardboard might not be so bad.  So, we skip that part.  And, viola, we’re at the part where I leave work, run (pain-free, knock wood), and go to the doctor.  Then I have the last in my series of (knock wood) miracle injections, make jokes with the doctor about being The Three Thousand Dollar Woman, and then rush out —still likely smelling of my six pain-free miles, mind you— and go to meet a friend for dinner.

Then, finally, the moment we’ve been waiting for, I remembered this:  two days ago was the third anniversary of my very first blog post ever. Yeeha, right?

Well, it is right. And I’ll tell you why, mister.  Because I’m going to give something away.

So let me ask you a question.  Have you heard of Livestrong.com?  Yes, of course you have. Because you don’t live under a rock.  Well they have some pretty cool stuff on the site like information on diet, nutrition, health, wellness, and more. And if you’ve heard of that then you’ve certainly heard of Livestrong.org, which is the website for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF).

Now we’ve all seen the yellow everywhere (it’s good to not live under rocks, right?), of course. And I, maybe just like you, knew maybe just enough to know what LAF does, but not much detail. Maybe you know more, which is good.

But there is one thing I’m betting we all know, and that’s someone who’s been diagnosed with cancer. And the moment that happens, it’s like we cannot know enough. That might be my favorite thing about LAF, the information they make available to people who need it.

In the last three years of blogging, I can’t think of one fellow blogger or reader who hasn’t had a cancer diagnosis affect their life.  Three years, dozens of people, all of us knowing what it’s like to have cancer come along and change life as we know it.

So, the Giveaway Rules:

1- Leave a comment on this post between now and January 31st (please only comment once). Very simple, right?

2- On January 31st, I will randomly draw a name from all of the comments.

3- The name drawn will then get his or her choice of a piece of Livestrong merchandise in any amount up to $50. (Ohh, go look. Shopping!)  (Ohh, really, go look. All sales revenue goes directly to the foundation. People, they are having a SALE.) (I can ship internationally, no problem.)

4- I will match that $50 merchandise purchase in the form of a donation.

5- Bonus round:  If you want to donate in any amount, just because ($5, $10, your old socks), I will also match that donation. (But we’ll probably toss the socks.)

Don’t worry, I don’t mind going broke. My bank knows that by now.

Three years ago, I was just starting this blog, totally unaware of the people and stories and ideas I’d encounter, just by writing on the Internet.  I’m constantly amazed at how unique yet connected all of us are, and at how much I’ve learned, and for that I only have you to thank. Thanks for reading, thanks for sharing, and thanks for being here so that I can even have a giveaway.

Here’s to health, and who knows, maybe three more years.

Over the next few days I’ll be spending a lot of time with people I love, likely in a much better state of mind than I’ve been in over the last few weeks. Just the anticipation alone has made me about a billion percent easier to be around. For that, I apologize.  But I’m also thankful, because not only have I had some tremendous support, I get the privilege of being around my family and the joy of knowing that this actually makes me happy.  I know that isn’t the case for everyone and family can be very challenging.

As also is certainly not the case for everyone, I’ll be able to enjoy a meal with these people I love.  It’s always, and especially at Thanksgiving, a good idea to remember that.  In fact, if you’d like to remember that and help someone out—no money required—here’s what you do:  Go here and leave a comment for my friend, JACC (a.k.a. David).  ALL you have to do is register a user login with MetBlogs and leave a comment on that post. Then, JACC and Bernard Berrian will donate their money to Second Harvest Heartland and they’ll turn it into a lot of food for a lot of people. Quite the deal for merely leaving a comment, I think.  In fact, I might just go comment again because I really like spending my blog brother’s money for such a good cause.

Thanks to all of you who go over and comment.

I wish those of you celebrating Thanksgiving a wonderful day full of reasons to be thankful. And for my homies to the North, I know you already celebrated but I wish you just the same.

The last time I did a meme was, oh, let’s see… never?  But this was sent to me by an eighty-four-year-old woman and, my gosh, if she can use email and complete a meme, far be it from me to pass it by.

What is your favorite Thanksgiving Tradition?

I don’t think I have a Thanksgiving tradition beyond family coming together.  I love Thanksgiving more than any other family holiday because it’s all about just being together. There are no expectations (other than food, let’s face it) and we get to just be. Despite having food in amounts greater than we could ever dream of eating, it’s really quite simplistic.  You make this, I’ll make that, Grandma will make her dressing like she always does.  We’ll eat at 3:00, but we’ll tell your aunt 2:30 so she’s on time.  Make sure we have enough pie. If it’s a nice day, we’ll all walk to the park afterward. It’s all very simple, everyone in their true form, enjoying the day, enjoying one another.

What’s your favorite food to eat at Thanksgiving?

Leftovers.

Though the meal is good, there is something about reliving it the next day.  Everything tastes better, and in my world turkey was really made for a sandwich anyway.

Does your family have a kids’ table?

I don’t think there will be one this year, but we’ve had them in the past.  I know because it’s usually where I choose to sit.

Is there one thing you wish no one would ever bring to Thanksgiving?

Politics.

Fondest Thanksgiving Memory:

Four years ago, my sister and her then-new husband moved to Kentucky in July. By the time Thanksgiving rolled around I could no longer live without her.  So, I flew to Kentucky to be with them for Thanksgiving, as did my brother-in-law’s sister and her husband.  (Keeping up?)  We were all very excited, us three girls, as we sat down two nights prior planning our meal. Then we realized none of us had ever cooked a turkey, and the googling, mom calling, and cookbook scouring commenced. People, we did not even have a meat thermometer.  Thanksgiving magic prevailed, however, and that evening we sat down to a fully cooked, beautifully browned turkey– albeit several hours later than originally planned.

In three days, it just so happens the three of us will be together again. None of us has cooked a turkey since that Thanksgiving of our first, so it should be interesting.

What are you most thankful for this year?

This year.  All of it.

Growing up in one of the foremost military towns in the United States, I am not unfamiliar with the military life. Neighbors, mothers and fathers of friends, and, yes, even a boyfriend or two who were all in some branch of the military have been a regular fixture in my life. Maybe this is what makes our military a little closer to my heart, but if that’s the case then I wish every American could grow up that way.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to watch a drop exercise (I really hope I used that term properly) put on by none other than the 82nd Airborne Division of the Army at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. It’s just a little section of the Army, no more than, say, tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers. You may have heard of it.

Even with my exposure to things like this over the years, I’m still in awe of the ability and dedication members of our military have. They take their jobs seriously, and they believe in what they do.

So I thought I’d share some photos from that day, because one of the things that consistently reminds me of this day seven years ago is the men and women that responded to it— that are still responding.

And though I don’t usually take advantage of this space to ask any body to do anything, this is different. Because no matter who we know or where we are, no matter what we believe and what cause we stand behind, it’s always a good day to say thank you.