Grateful to still be here after going thru esophageal cancer earlier this year. Other than swallowing difficulties due to scar tissue from all the radiation treatments I feel perfectly healthy again.
zorro
I am grateful that you have opened this thread, @person. I used to have a heading for gratitude in my morning journal for years. I shall aim to make it so again - it primes the mind in good ways for the rest of the day.
I am grateful for this forum, our little online Sangha, all of you posting here rarely or often, to @Linc for keeping it operational, and to @federica for having moderated us. I often thought that I should open a "NB forum appreciation thread".
I am grateful for Buddhism. Among other things, it keeps me optimistic about the future, interested in life, and reminds me of the important things.
I am grateful for my Buddhist inspirations (teachers) but also non-Buddhist and non-spiritual ones. Their example shows a sense of possibility, their words light a little candle of the same quality in me, and their instructions are one of the greatest treasures in life for one who can actually implement them.
I am grateful for my parents, who are now aging (70 & 84). This year, both my Godfather's parents died, with whom I was very close. That made me realise that however irritating they are sometimes, this is it, they will die, so better make the most of our time together, and be as kind and helpful to them as I can.
I am grateful for my friends. They make life fun and keep loneliness at bay.
I am also grateful for my mental health holding up and actually improving both mid- and long-term, my decent physical health, my apartment, my hobbies, my efforts at good habits, even my new job that is a great opportunity both in terms of career and personal growth...
I am grateful to myself anytime I do a positive thing or, with frustration, whenever I don't do a negative thing.
I am grateful for my new bedside lamp. Y'all will laugh, but it is bringing me great comfort and joy, and is currently my favorite thing, maybe because I had crappy lighting in the bedroom in my previous apartment so I see it as a wonderful thing 
It sounds like a good tradition, I will join in.
This year after losing my father and Aunt Elly, I’m grateful that my mother is still with us. I’m grateful that my mental health, despite a few stresses and groans, is still holding up. I’m grateful for beautiful green forests and the rains that feed them, for flowers and birds and bees…
Jeroen
Its Thanksgiving in the US, the day we celebrate eating too much food and football 😏. Part of that tradition in many families is taking turns before the meal to say what we're thankful for.
This year I'm thinking of my health and how grateful I am that at the age of 52 with a physically demanding job that my body and my health is still quite good. It allows me to continue to make a good enough living without stressing me out and I feel comfortable purchasing insurance with a high deductible. The recent budget standoff and government shutdown in the US was a fight over the insurance market place subsidies, I will be paying about 250% more next year, but it won't break the bank as a single person in good health and a 20 year old mortgage. But for a family or someone needing a more expensive plan it will make a negative impact.
So I'm thankful that my health continues to be good. I've also lost 10 pounds over the past few months, I think mostly through reducing sweeteners.
person
Oh, and I've gone and moderated away my manners as well apparently. A belated welcome to @Tavs, cheers. 👋
Linc
The Spanish text says…
Sometimes life puts us back in the same situations so that we review what we thought we had understood. If reviewing the same situations seems boring to you... you can try with a Buddhist antidote: "The beginner's look" Look with new eyes to realise that nothing repeats itself.
Jeroen
@Linc @federica
As advised by our Community Guidelines, which I have tried to follow in this matter, @IdleChater and I have been mediating both here publicly and later in private via PM.
I believe we have made sufficient progress that no ban is necessary at this time. IdleChater has shown self-reflection and a willingness to change and I am confident that with additional mediation, including between IdleChater and Jeroen, the matter can be beneficialy resolved for all involved.
It's very late here and I must be off to bed, I just don't want to wake up with IdleChater banned, not after the successful mediation and initial progress we have made.
Apologies to @Tavs, whose threads we have been recently derailing.
@marcitko said:
For some time now, to my mind, you have been far too often critical and harsh, towards several members, but apparently with a special focus on Jeroen. To my mind, Jeroen has been nothing but gracious and kind to you. I would have called you out far sooner than Jeroen, but even his calling you out was gracious and kind. Had he not called you out, I would have done so.Trying to silence me?
For now, looking to hear what others think, and if they mostly agree that you've meandered into harrasment territory according to our ToS, looking for you to remedy your future postings on these boards a.k.a. limit the ad hominem personal attacks based on this or that perceived fault.
Thank you @marcitko, that more or less covers my feelings on the subject. I haven’t had to deal with this kind of targeted harassment since my days in school, and that from a Buddhist, no less. Back then my preferred method of settling things with a bully was meeting for a bout of fisticuffs, glad we don’t have to go through that kind of nonsense anymore. I’m sure that if @federica or @linc were not busy with their personal lives they would deal with it in their usual zero-tolerance manner.
On the subject of not being a Buddhist, I’m glad the community doesn’t hold to a rigid standard on this, admitting taoists, free thinkers and others. It’s a group of “new Buddhists” after all. I spent nearly a decade devoted to Buddhism, and I still follow many of it’s tenets, but found my heart took me in another direction.
On Right Speech, and especially kind speech, as @person mentioned it, I’ve always admired it and found it one of the most beautiful traits of Buddhists in general. I’ve associated Buddhism with gentleness and grace and eloquence, and long may these traits continue.
Jeroen