Gratitude This Holiday Season...

[ekerr19]

I am sitting here thinking how grateful I am for my friends and family - and especially my new friends on the Cruise Critic message board. :)

Today, as I left work - I passed by the Denver Rescue Mission where hundreds of people were already lining up for an evening meal and a place to spend the night. It will be -5 degrees tonight - imo, no one person (let alone families) should be out on these streets...

I am grateful for my home, family and friends - the financial security that allows us the choices we are able to make, along with being able to take the cruises we enjoy and all the people we meet...

God bless each and all this holiday season - I hope it finds each one of you safe and warm - with all my thoughts and good wishes... :)

Laura

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Laura, What a wonderful thread. I too am extremely grateful for everything we have. I feel so fortuate to have the financial ability to cruise as often as we do. I am also thankful for having so many wonderful friends here on Cruise Critics.
I am so extremely Thankful for my family and friends. I will be a bit alone this Christmas though. Tom my husband has to fly to San Diego tomorrow to work. He works for a company that caters the food on airlines, well their competion decided to close up in San Diego leaving all the airlines to be catered by one company out of San Diego suddenly. Because has done training for his company before they requested for him to come to San Diego to help out. We had no special plans for Christmas, so I take him to the airport tomorrow morning. Hopefully he will be home before New Years. He is threatening to go board the Ryndam on Saturday:p I guess I will be spending a lot of time visiting cruise critics:)

May God Bless Everyone this Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas

[JohnR49er]

DITTO !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ekerr19]

Laura, What a wonderful thread. I too am extremely grateful for everything we have. I feel so fortuate to have the financial ability to cruise as often as we do. I am also thankful for having so many wonderful friends here on Cruise Critics.
I am so extremely Thankful for my family and friends. I will be a bit alone this Christmas though. Tom my husband has to fly to San Diego tomorrow to work. He works for a company that caters the food on airlines, well their competion decided to close up in San Diego leaving all the airlines to be catered by one company out of San Diego suddenly. Because has done training for his company before they requested for him to come to San Diego to help out. We had no special plans for Christmas, so I take him to the airport tomorrow morning. Hopefully he will be home before New Years. He is threatening to go board the Ryndam on Saturday:p I guess I will be spending a lot of time visiting cruise critics:)

May God Bless Everyone this Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas
Oh, Lisa - I am so sorry to hear you are alone...! I wish we were closer, we could have a great get together - but since we aren't, if you check in on the boards, I will make sure to do the same and share my day with you and hopefully you can do the same. :)

Then again, if you want to hop on a plane to Denver, I could pick you up at the airport... we are already having 25, what's one more?!! I am not kidding either!

[Aussie Gal]

Laura,

It is a good time to count ones blessings.

I thank God every day for the wonderful and privileged life I have led, my wonderful husband of 40 years, my children, son in law and grandchildren, my great and loyal friends, this exciting and free country we live in and the financial means to be able to travel when and where we want to. Life hasn't all been a bed of roses but it has been pretty good to us. I have had the big "C" but have been one of the very fortunate ones that has managed to conquer it.

Through the C.C. Boards I have also made many friends and I will be meeting some in February when the Sapphire Princess comes to Melbourne.

May your all have a safe and happy Christmas and a great cruising 2005.

Jennie

[jhannah]

Yes, we truly are blessed in so many ways ... not the least of which is our ability to cruise the oceans of the world. May each of you have a blessed Christmas.

[ekerr19]

Laura,

It is a good time to count ones blessings.

I have had the C but have been one of the very fortunate ones that has managed to conquer it.

Through the C.C. Boards I have also made many friends and I will be meeting some in February when the Sapphire Princess comes to Melbourne.

May your all have a safe and happy Christmas and a great cruising 2005.

Jennie
Jennie- Thank you so much - I am also going through my own battle with the C (and to Heather - thanks so much for your kind words of support!) I am looking at surgery again early next year - I know the pain and toll it takes (this will be my fourth one) , I have gone from basel cell to squamous cell to partial malignant carcinoma... no more outdoor sun for me, unfortunately. The worst thing - it is on my face and lip... oh well - I can be grateful (those of you with young kids in So Cal - please USE sunscreen!) but I so love the sun and ocean - it will be a hard transition - I am grateful it is not worse.

I am so happy to hear that you have conquered it - I would love to hear your story should you wish to share... I am at lskerr@comcast.net

Happiest of Holidays! I am grateful for CC buddies like you!

[ekerr19]

Yes, we truly are blessed in so many ways ... not the least of which is our ability to cruise the oceans of the world. May each of you have a blessed Christmas.
Jim -

Do you ever make it to Colorado in your travels? We would love to meet up with you - I have actually been talking to DH about Vegas again after you had your Vegas CC get together... we are not that far away.

[jhannah]

Haven't been to Colorado in years. We're overdue. Maybe some day. Would like to mee you and DH if you get down this way.

[dakrewser]

What a lovely thread, so far inhabited mostly by the "westerners" (and, Jennie, you'll have to be an honorary westerner for now), but I'm sure the others will add to it in the morning. Seems like everyone has had, or still has, a personal battle to wage but so far we all seem to have stood up to the challenge. In the short time I've been visiting CC I've come to know so many of you, and to cherish the time we've spent "together". Perhaps one day soon we'll find ourselves on the same ship, in the same port or - hopefully - gathered around the same table. Until that day -

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet the words repeat,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.



I thought how as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had roll'd along th' unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bow'd my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men." 'Til ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

Happy Christmas to all.....

[lipoppop]

Peace on earth, good will towards men and women

[Krazy Kruizers]

We feel blessed that we are still relatively in good health and able to travel as often as possible.

We had the last of the big Christmas parties last night (DH was ready to kill me as company was coming at 8 and I was still on line around 7).

Our neighbors and best friends will be at our house tomorrow to celebrate Christmas. We haven't any family and both of their daughters are married and off the Conneticut to ski and spend the holidays with their in-laws. So for the first time in years they were faced spending Christmas alone. I retified that.

Merry Christmas everyone!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Oh, Lisa - I am so sorry to hear you are alone...! I wish we were closer, we could have a great get together - but since we aren't, if you check in on the boards, I will make sure to do the same and share my day with you and hopefully you can do the same. :)

Then again, if you want to hop on a plane to Denver, I could pick you up at the airport... we are already having 25, what's one more?!! I am not kidding either!
Laura, That was so sweet of you to offer:) who knows some day I might make it to Colorado, like you said we really are not that far apart. That would be nice if you and DH could come to Vegas. We would definitely have a HAL CC Get Together. Well I got to work almost an hour early because I had to take Tom to the airport. This is our first Christmas apart in 28 years. We actually were not doing much for presents since we have the 3 cruise coming up this next year. We are looking at this that he is working for cruising:)
I do have some close firends that have invited me over for Christmas Dinner tomorrow night and I need to talk to my 25 year old son and see if he is owrking or spending time with the girlfriend to see what else I will be doing.
I look at this that we are Bless that that both my Husband and myself have very good jobs to support this addiction to cruising:D I just came home from Phoenix a few days ago where I spent a day with Mom and her husband and the rest of the time with a very close friend who has had a very rough year. First she seperated from her husband of 27 years due to him not being mentally stable and she could not get him to go to a doctor and he had not been employed for 3 years, then she had major surgury, then the divorce went thru then the topper was he committed suicide on the 9 of this month. So with all that I just count my blessing and am very Thankful for everything the Good Lord has given us.

Merry Christmas.

[CDRMark]

I realize it sounds trite, but I truly try to wake up every day realizing how fortunate I am, in so many ways.
How well I succeed in maintaing that attitude is a debatable point.
God bless us, everyone!
Cheers
MarkB

[sail7seas]

Thank you for starting this thread. I, too, am so very grateful for our extreme good fortune. To be warm, well fed, relatively well and to love and be loved........ and to cruise, as well. That's alot to be very grateful for. We have family and dear friends who mean so much to us. We are very blessed and we know it.


I'm very sorry to hear of those battling tough illness. Please know I send heartfelt wishes for speedy recoveries to wellness.

I hope everyone enjoys their holiday in the best way they are able.
Best Wishes for Good health and happiness in the New Year.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Laura, what a wonderful thoughtful thread. I was reading Dave's message and I realized that one day we will all be sailing on the same ship visiting the same port. But before that I do really hope that one day soon we'll find ourselves cruising together. Such laughs and good time we could share!

But in the meantime, I am so grateful for so many things. I'm grateful to live in this country. I'm grateful for a wonderful, close family, and for a husband who lets me be me and for some reason never stops loving me. I'm grateful for our little dog and cat and for our good health. I'm grateful that while we don't have all the money in the world, we're okay and have enough extra to hop on a ship from time to time and fly where we want to go to be where we want to be.

And last I'm really grateful for all of you. I've come to a wonderful time in my life that all my time is my own. I've never had any trouble filling that time and never have a moment of boredom. But one day after planning our Oosterdam cruise last April I happened onto the HAL boards and suddenly I "met" a wonderful group of people from different states and countries ... and my world expanded. So now some of the cleaning simply doesn't get done:o .

It's been such fun for me to come to know all of you (and sometimes a challenge;) ) So I want to thank you all for being there and though I've said it on other threads I wish you all a joyous Christmas and Holiday season with your families and loved ones. I look forward to the coming year with all of you in it.

I would have just one wish for the years ahead ... that we could all pray in whatever way we choose for good to triumph over evil. In numbers there is strength. If enough of us join hands around the world, I truly believe good can prevail. God bless.

[localady]

I am blessed to be sitting here typing this, God gave me a second shot at living, so I am trying to really live it well!
I am blessed for my wonderful husband, a gift from Heavens in and of himself. I am also blessed with two strong, intelligent, and generally respectful boys who are thriving.
I am blessed that I am able to share the wonders of the world with my husband as we cruise the globe, and for the pictures that scroll as my background on my computer, memories for always. And I thank the Lord for the wonderful people we have come to know as a result of our travels.
May the holidays be a time of family and friends, both near and far, and a time to reflect as to the many blessings we receive.:cool:

[xeena]

a very happy, safe and healthy holiday to all.....we have so much to be thankful for....even though we will not be with our children and grandbabies this year...we will have "phone Christmas" experiences with our daughter and honey in WA and our son and his family in MD.....

pam

[Cruising Jake]

What a very, very merry thread! Happy holidays to all. We are blessed to have both our daughters and sons-in-law and our 15 month old grandson with us this year. We have been cooking all day for our Italian Christmas Eve seafood dinner. Tomorrow we have traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. How fortunate that we can all be together, eating wonderful food and enjoying each other.

To those of you that don't have family, enjoy your friends wherever they may be (even on this board).

To al have a peaceful, healthy (as much as possible) and happy new year.

[Bill S]

Yes, it appears that we all have much for which to be grateful! I am typing this on my oldest son's laptop up in Reno where we are visiting our sons, our daughters-in-law and our 11-month old grandson (our first grandchild). And, I still get to "visit" with my CC friends and compatriots! We all are indeed blessed to be able to cruise and to make new friends both in person and on Cruise Critic. My best wishes to all for a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Kwanza, as the case may be! :)

[kygal]

Just a few things that I am thankful for...My DH who loves me unconditionally (and allowed me to drag him off on a cruise ...I owe him one..!!)..My in-laws ..who love me ..and don't complain when I spend their money!! (just kidding...I just had to say that)
My puppy who stayed home and "took care of them" while we were gone for 15 days!!! ...To still be young enough and healthy enough to make the most of each day! And most importantly I am so grateful for those men and women who are away from THEIR families in Iraq and around the world so that my family can be together!
Merry Christmas Everyone ...

[Thoth]

[QUOTE=ekerr19] - I am also going through my own battle with the C I am looking at surgery again early next year - I know the pain and toll it takes (this will be my fourth one) , I have gone from basel cell to squamous cell to partial malignant carcinoma... no more outdoor sun for me, unfortunately. The worst thing - it is on my face and lip... oh well - I can be grateful (those of you with young kids in So Cal - please USE sunscreen!) but I so love the sun and ocean - it will be a hard transition - I am grateful it is not worse.

Hopefully you are not offended that I pray that God will heal you.