A Blogaversary and some Thankful Thoughts

Today is a landmark day in many ways. One year ago today was the day I posted my very first entry on this blog. But this is not one of those posts about looking back at my year on WordPress and recounting stats. This is a post about looking forward and looking inward.

Today is also the first day of my birthday month. And to top it all, I am penning this post sitting on the floor of the Hofburg Chapel in Vienna where I am on my first ever international solo trip.

As I sit here waiting to hear the heart-swelling notes of the Vienna Boys’ Choir, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed at how incredibly blessed I have been in my life.

– Above all else I am grateful for a husband who is willing to make all my dreams come true. There must have been moments where he simply could not fathom how and why this woman of his wanted to travel alone. But all it took was one conversation with the words ‘It’s been a dream of mine for years’ and he supported me wholeheartedly in crossing this elusive item from my bucket list.

There is no greater fortune in this world than in finding a partner who will make all your dreams come true.

– I am grateful for family who are concerned about my safety and well being. For protective baby sisters who give you advice about not getting too friendly with strangers and demand the details of someone who dared to ask about my itinerary.

– I am grateful for the love and concern of friends. Friends who have prayed for my safe travels and checked on me every single day to make sure I am doing A-OK. Friends who have adopted my poor abandoned hubby and made sure loneliness does not set in. Friends who have lent me their warm clothing to weather the European spring we desert folk are simply not meant to endure.

– I am grateful for the kindness of strangers. For people who will try to take pictures for you even though they may never have even held a DSLR before. For strangers who will share a table at a restaurant with you and leave hours later after having traded stories about families, politics and religion. For women who understand the concerns of a solo female traveler and worry on your behalf until you reach your hotel safe and sound.

– I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to travel. And for how each trip shows me that we are all a lot more alike than we are different.

– I am grateful for this blog. And for the experiences it has brought into my life. I am grateful for a medium that lets me be me.

– And last but not least, I am grateful to a being larger than myself or anything this world has ever known. I am thankful for all the pain and for all the joy. For all the trials and for all the pleasures. For getting me this far. For bringing me to this exact moment in my life. For a life rich in experiences and for a heart filled with love and gratitude.

Until next time…

Stay blessed!