Yes, as my Canadian friends are well aware, Thanksgiving was in October.  As my American friends are oblivious, I’ll repeat that Canadian Thanksgiving is in October.  But as I am spending time in the US right now, I am spending Thanksgiving with a dear friend and her family.  So this year, I’m engaging the US Thanksgiving.  My previous attempts at Thanksgiving usually result in me saying things like “Thankstaking”, “Wow, what an impressive turkey.  Very realistic looking!” or as a friend enlightened me to this year “Happy Give the Indians Blankets Tainted With Small Pox Day.”  However, this year, I had to think about it and realized just how thankful I am.

So bear with me, and just fast forward to the next blog if you really don’t give a shit (and there’s no reason why you should), but here’s a list of the things that I am most thankful for in my life.

·         I am thankful for my daughter.  She is beautiful, and wicked smart, and really just the most amazing little girl in the whole world.  I know that right now I’m just being your average glowing parent, and I recognize that only the parents see their children as truly special, but she impresses me every time I get to see her and she rocks my world.  I hope I get to see her soon.

·         I am thankful for my incredible friends.  I have found some of the most amazingly true and dear friends to be with me who I am determined come hell or high water to keep in my life forever.  I love you girls more than you’ll ever be able to know.

·         I am thankful for my wonderful family.  They have accepted me whole heartedly as their daughter and shown how deep their love goes.  I feel more closely connected to them than I ever have in my life and I consider myself extremely blessed and lucky.

·         I am thankful that I am not in Baghdad.

·         I am thankful to be a woman.  I love that I’m able to wake up every morning and feel like a girl.  I may be saddled with the unfortunate circumstances of being a transsexual as well, but that’s just the baggage that bothers other people.  The concept of me being male is so far removed from my psyche now, and I’ve never been happier.

·         I’m thankful that I’m alive.  It was only 12 short months ago, give or take that I started on this journey and 10 short months ago that I came close to ending my life.  I’m very happy with all the changes I made in my life: removing my ex, selling my business, moving away, and mostly finally being true to myself.

·         I’m thankful that I’m me.  Ashley is precocious, ambitious, fun, witty, sarcastic, stubborn, flirty, crude, emotional, creative, surprising, compassionate and full of love.  I’m thankful to be Ashley.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Ashley