Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Today, my honey and I will gather with friends who we consider to be our “chosen” family. While we have indeed had our struggles this year, we have much to be thankful for.

The biggest is that we have each other. In just a few weeks, we’ll celebrate our 4th Wedding Anniversary….this is the man who loved me when I was still morbidly obese. I wished for him….I wished that people would see me for who I was inside and stop judging me for the outside and the Universe was listening, I received my MBO (Most Benevolent Outcome).

We are both thankful to have our health and again, I mention my weight, I believe I turned my life around just in time, before I crossed that line of no return. Having been morbidly obese all my life, at 43 I was probably on the brink of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and a plethora of other obesity related diseases, including bone and joint damage, but now, my health is perfect. In fact, after my latest EKG, my Dr. says I have the body of a 25yo athlete! How cool is that?!

We are thankful to have so many wonderful people in our lives. And while we have a few who have done terrible misdeeds, the good people in our lives far outweigh the bad and the ability to focus on those positive relationships and the wonderful things that it brings to us is incredible.

We are thankful for our kitties, who love us unconditionally. If only people took lessons from animals. There was a time in my life, when I was in a potentially deadly abusive relationship that Haley was the only bright thing in my life….I believe she is my “fur” soulmate. I am thankful for her then and am thankful that she still sleeps in the crook of my arm at night and am even more thankful when she does not walk on my head while I’m sleeping!

Our family, who is many many miles away, we send you love and our thoughts are with you on this day and every day.

Finally….if you’re still reading after all this, I ask you to remember what today is about. It’s not about how much food you can eat, it’s about being thankful. Some of you are spending time with those who are important to you and who you care about, some of you might not be. But, we all have something we can be thankful for. And as I mentioned earlier, we all have struggles that we face, but it’s how we look at those struggles that makes us who we are.

Please remember that while you might be sharing a meal with others today, it’s not a food marathon to see how much you can eat. You know that I just had to put something in here about making healthy food choices, didn’t you? It’s OK to enjoy your Thanksgiving meal today, but there’s no reason to pile everything on your plate. Make reasonable portion choices and keep this in mind. Savor your food and really enjoy the tastes and flavor. The first bite is the best one, isn’t it? Really enjoy that first bite, let it sit on your tongue for a moment! Eat slowly, put your fork down in between each bite, take a sip of water to prepare your mouth for the next flavor sensation. Experience your food, don’t inhale it and eat your entire meal in 15 minutes. It’s not a race…it’s a day to go slowly and absorb all that you have to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

~Robbyn Ackner (and Richard too)