I am thankful for my Chad. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't look at him and feel my heart grow. I am so grateful that one day, a boy from the T.O 5th ward saw a little red headed girl from the Westlake ward. A girl that he just had to talk to. His eyes, his smile and his voice were all a testimony to me that I was looking at my future. One girl, one boy, and one mortgage later-he is still here and still my future. I am more in love with him today then on the day he took me for a walk outside of his dad's house and gave me our first kiss.
I am thankful for the two little people who have changed my life in a big way. I love my baby girl and my buddy boy with all my heart. It is a strange and wonderful kind of love. There is no other love that is so all consuming and immediate like the love I feel for my children. I love my piles of laundry and I love all of the toys I trip over 20 times a day. I love there little finger prints on the mirrors and windows. I love the smell of their hair and the feel of their breath as they whisper "I love you Mommy". I love how gently and completely they fall into my arms when they get hurt, or are scared, or just want a hug. And as much as I dread the years flying by faster then I want them to, I feel so blessed that it is me that gets to watch these two amazing little people grow.
And that brings me to an other thing I am thankful for, and that is time. I have all of this time with these people that I love so much. Time is such a precious gift. One to be cherished and not wasted. I live everyday full of gratitude. I know how fast time goes by, and I will not waste it thinking of all of the things I should have, could have, or would have done. I do look to the future, but I live in the present. And at present, I have a cornucopia of beautiful moments that surround me daily.
I am also thankful for the trails in my life that stretch my resilience and force me to grow. I might sound like a masochist, but don't get me wrong. I find no pleasure in the things that try me, but I am grateful for the person I am on the other side of the hardship. I have become more acquainted with not only the person I am, but also my savior. It would be nice if I could travel this life without having neither heartache nor pain, but that is what this life is all about. The people we become by learning and growing and not becoming embittered to our circumstances can be a reflection of meekness and strength, if we let it. I have loved stronger, prayed deeper, and stood taller all while standing in the eye of a storm.
Not the last thing I am thankful for, but the last that I will write about tonight is family. Family isn't just a father and mother, sister and brother. It is made up of step parents and half siblings. It is made up of good neighbors and life long friends. I don't believe anymore that there is such a thing as a functional family. I think we all have a little dis-function is all of us. As there is no one who can claim to be perfect, likewise, no family is either. We may think that the "Jones'" have it all together, but we really don't know. How do you measure a functional family? Is it prestige and positions? Is is a laundry list of accomplishments and abilities? I for one, think that no matter how a family is built-whether your parents sleep in the same house, or two separate houses-the thing that binds us all together is love. I am thankful for my dis-functional loving family. There isn't a lot that I have figured out, but one thing I know that we have is a lot of love. Unconditional love.
As you can see, I have so much to be thankful for. I look back on the road I took to get to where I am now. I see so many forks in the road, different decisions I could have made. And I know with all my soul that I am where I should be. These beautiful children, my wonderful husband, my as-close-to-perfect-as-you-can-get life, they are all witnesses of the fact that I have made all the right choices in life. I have no regrets. I have always acted true to myself. I can't change the actions of others. The happiest man on earth will tell he has nothing he desires, he would have it all already. I keep good company with that happy man, because anything else that might come my way would be a bonuse, because all my dreams have been realized. And that is something to be truly thankful for.
(and on an other note, here are some pictures of Thanksgiving Day. We went to Chad's sister's house. It was a great day. I love my family.)
1 comment:
Ditto- I wish I had a talent for writing like you- I have it inside, but when it comes out it's 2 sentences long and not so beautiful. Thanks.
PS I love the hair cut!
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