Why I'm Spiritual

OK, so I'm an atheist, not a willing one (see last post), but one none the less. But why/how am I still spiritual?  I think its because I'm thankful. I appreciate what I have and take time to be aware of how "blessed" I am. Rather than focusing on what I don't have or haven't achieved, I focus on all I do have. This awareness of the greater world -- especially the natural world -- is a spiritual experience for me.
  We have had a family ritual since Jeannie was born:  at family meals we each say what we're grateful for that day. Its a simple way to focus on what went well during the day and gives us a way to recognize how important we are to each other.
  But my appreciation of my life extends back to my college days. I think therapy has helped a great deal to see what's good in the world, as did my faith at the time. Having breast cancer was a challenge to me, but in a way perhaps different from others' experiences. I went through the "why me?" phase, and all the fear of death, discomfort and exhaustion of treatment, but one thing I really hated was the assumption that going through that experience would "make me a better person" and make me "appreciate my life more." One of my vows once I was diagnosed with cancer was that it wouldn't make me a better person. What I meant was that I already appreciated what I had, I didn't need a life-threatening illness to do that. I truly disliked the assumption that somehow I wasn't really aware of and appreciative of what I had before and that I somehow needed the cancer to make me "a better person."
  Well, I think I succeeded magnificently! I am still a human being with many faults, short-comings, and prickly parts, but I am also aware of my strengths and the beautiful world I live in and all the amazing people, experiences, and things I have in my life.