Photo By: Dear Pretty
I try to maintain a thankful heart throughout the entire year, but on Thanksgiving Day it only seems fitting to take a few moments to shout my gratitude to the world and remember all the reasons I have to give thanks:
Naturally, I’m thankful for my good health. I know too many people struggling with cancer, mental illness, chronic pain and just the sniffles. I think my good health is the #1 thing I take for granted. I am just so grateful that my body and mind are well & capable of performing everyday.
I’m thankful for my vehicle. Another thing I take for granted…Man, to go outside everyday to a well running machine is a blessing. It may suck all my dollars away in the fuel tank, but I’m grateful for reliable and safe transportation for me and my little tot.
I’m thankful for my mom. She’s the bomb, and that’s all there is to it. I’m planning a post about my mom on her Birthday in a few days, so I’m not going to reveal how awesome she is just yet.
I’m thankful for music. I’m thankful for the kind of music that gets Clara’s hips a’swayin & toes a’tappin…and the kind that serenades me during long hours at the computer. I just love music.
I’m thankful for my photography business and my past, present & future clients. This is another area where I could go on and on, but I’ll save that for a year-end wrap up post…
I’m thankful for my siblings. I mean, really, how did I get so lucky? A recent example of their awesomeness: last week I turned 31. I woke up to a mess of text messages from them sent from all hours of the morning…each of them suggesting they were the 1st to wish me happy birthday. They all lost. To our mom. The sibling relationship is the longest relationship we have in our lives. Longer than the relationships we have with our folks, our spouses, and our children. Mathematically, it makes sense that your siblings, God willing, are the ones who are in your life the longest. I can’t think of 6 people I’d rather share that time with than Annie, Troy, Josh, Laura, Mackenzie and Aaron.
I’m thankful for my friends…My “up north friends”, my “cities friends”, my “internet friends”, and my “far away friends”. I love the good and amazing people who make up my friend list.
I’m thankful for the relationship Clara has with her Grandparents. 8, count ’em 8 Grandparents. She knows them all, talks about them all and LOVES, LOVES, LOVES, them all.
I’m thankful for frivolous things like: fully charged electronics, brand new water bottles, wedding cake, pretty stationary, wi-fi, Christmas lights, sharpie pens, gift cards, slippers, the internet, dogs, Target, and candy.
I’m thankful for significant things like: The United States Military, my doctors, affection from others, sunsets, clean water, teachers, freedom, genuine laughter, and the roof over my head.
I’m thankful for my cousins. We’re all old now, but we behave very immaturely when we’re together and I love it, so very much. I cherish our gatherings, our facebook threads, our inside jokes and the sense of loyalty and belonging you can only get from being part of family as close-knit as ours.
I’m most thankful for my daughter, Clara. I love her voice and her smile. The girl is hilarious…I mean really laugh-out-loud funny. I’m typing this at 2 am and she just came in my room without her jammies on, proclaiming: “mommy I’m going to sleep on your pillow till it’s time for my oatmeal.” Okay, babe…whatever you want. I love her more than words can express. I’m reminded of the saying: “I wish there was a word more powerful than: love, but if there was I’d probably just wear that out too.”
I’m thankful for my relationship with my Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ. I believe that all of ↑↑ THAT ↑↑ is at the hand of Him.
– HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE –
