Way to go FranR. Like the good book say .. "Count your blessings."

We are truly blessed. Our Creator have abundantly provided us with blessings galore and we don't even appreciate it. Instead, most of the time, we just take our blessings for granted. We have one day in the year designated as "Thanksgiving Day" and much of the talk is about turkey and such mundane things; with nary a word of giving thanks.

Your post here is like a fresh ray of sunshine shining so bright.

Great post FranR.

Thank you Ernie and yes every day should be thanksgivig. My dad would say each day is a gift from God and the older we get the more of a gift it is. Enjoy life.

I second that Ernie.

I am most thankful for the inner knowledge that I am a child of God and an integral part of the Universe. This knowledge has created so many more things in my life that I am thankful for. I am truly thankful that for the first time in my life, my dwelling place is a sanctuary. My apartment is a place of peace and calm. I do not have to prove my worth to anyone, I do not have to fear judgement against my thought processes or my actions, I do not have to fear physical or emotional violence at the hands of my family.

My childhood home was not like this, nor the various apartments I shared with my first or second husbands. I cannot even claim that the brief moment in my twenties, when I had an apartment by myself had this peace, because at that time I had no inner peace. I was not aware of the God within and without me and my mind was plagued by self-doubt, self-loathing, fear. I now live in an apartment with only my cat, for now at least. It is finally a sanctuary for me because it is whatever I create my environment to be.

I am thankful that I now trust my own instincts. I am thankful for my courage and my generosity of spirit. I am ever so thankful for a healthy mind and body. I am thankful for my ability to praise God on a weekly basis through song. I am thankful for my two wonderful, independent sons. I am thankful for a whole new world of friends and experiences that are now open to me. Freedom, that is what is at the core of all this gratefulness. Freedom of will, God gave it to me, man tried to take it from me, God granted me the courage to reclaim it as my birthright.

I am thankful that you gained the knowledge to know what your self worth was. That was very beautiful.

Thanks to all of you who comment. Yes there is no peace like the peace God can give to all of us who know Him and realize that we are always loved and cherished. Peace to all of us. Maybe some day we will all know that peace and truly enjoy this beautiful world we live in.

It is lovely the way events unfolded for you and gradually your feelings and your enjoyment of life returned.

We do sometimes develop shells around our heart, as happened with you. Fortunately, sometimes even a minor event can be enough to crack open the shell. We need to keep believing in the likelihood that this will happen.