And We Give Thanks...

Perhaps it’s a little boring to read another post about giving thanks...but its THANKSGIVING…it’s a good thing to do. I don’t have a gratitude journal, so I, unfortunately, don’t always take the time to sit and think about the things I am grateful for now. We are usually too busy thinking about the future to think about what is so good about life now. The thing I am most grateful for is the fact that I am alive. There have been events in my life that have occurred that by all means I should not be…but I am, for whatever reason. I am very thankful that I survived them. Many people have not.

I am also very thankful for all of the people in my life, even the ones that I don’t consider friends or family. They all have a lesson to teach. I may not see their value or see the lesson right away, but I do eventually.

I am even more thankful for the people that I do consider family and friends. They are not large in number, but they are all VERY important. They love me for who I am, even with all of my craziness and faults. I am not perfect…no one is. I’m stubborn and selfish at times. I worry (i.e. obsess) a lot about things that aren’t important. I try to hard to be perfect, and often fall short, despite my efforts. Regardless of that, they still love me. I think that is what makes me love them even more. They all understand better than anyone that no one is perfect, everyone has their faults and everyone makes mistakes sometimes…and it’s okay. Besides, who would want to be surrounded by perfect people all of the time? That would be way too boring. That’s an even bigger lesson for me to learn from them. They are not perfect either, but I love them too. They drive me crazy and irritate me sometimes, but at the end of the day, they have added value to my life, on a regular basis, and made it better because they are in it.

And, of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t give thanks for the three most important people in my life…my Mom, Maria, and Doug. My mom has been my best friend from day one. Has loved me when I thought no one did, and always been there NO MATTER WHAT was going on, or what I did. I have never seen anyone love as unconditionally as she has loved me. Maria, has brought one of the most important gifts in my life…laughter. When it seemed like nothing was funny about the world, she found a way to make me laugh. Her encouragement, and amazingly, her admiration, kept me going through some pretty hard times. And then there is Doug. He is my rock, my voice of reason, when I can’t hear past the crazy voices in my head. He makes me a better person, even when I stumble. He reminds me of the person I want my kids to be. “Don’t follow Mommy’s example, she’s a bubble off center…go see Daddy.” He also encourages me, and that is the greatest gift a person can give. He doesn’t bullshit me, but he does encourage me. I only hope that I do for him all of the things that he does for me.

These people have given me that most important gifts in my life…unconditional love, laughter and encouragement, reason, and honesty. They are my best friends. They love me. Period.

There are a lot of other people (family and friends) that have taught me other lessons about life that I have not forgotten in my heart, but will not mention here. I may mention them in the future. They each have a story to me. They are all important and I am very thankful for each and every one of them.