Day 30 - Time

I’m so grateful for this past year.  We had our ups and downs.  There were some really amazing moments and some very, very difficult ones.  But we made it through, and truthfully, I think we are stronger because of it.

 It was a year that I wasn’t sure I’d get with my mom.  But through the grace of God, the wonders of modern medicine and the sheer determination and strength of my amazing mother, we were given the greatest gift you can be given – Time.

None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.  I think we are all made aware of that fact at some point in our lives.  Sometimes, however unintentional it may be, we take for granted those things that mean the most to us.  We naively think that those things will always be there.  But then something happens and we realize that life and love are things that we should always appreciate and cherish because in an instant, they can be gone.  We were reminded of that when my mom got sick, but it hold trues for all people.  Don’t be afraid to tell those you care about that you love them.  Make an effort to call those that you don’t see often and don’t put off things for tomorrow that can be done today.  Big, extravagant things are great, but don’t forget to appreciate the smaller, quieter moments.  Those will be the times you remember and treasure most. 

 These 30 days of thankfulness have really driven this home for me.  I was reminded of how blessed I am and how grateful for each and every moment.  I hope that I can take my own advice, practice what I preach and really live the next year (and beyond) with an attitude of gratitude. 

Below is our Thanksgiving Blessing Tree.  The kids had fun and hopefully learned a little something at the same time.

 

Day 29 - Family

It’s not what we have in life, but who we have that matters.

 We are incredibly blessed to have a wonderful family.  I’ve sat here for a while trying to put into words what my parents, siblings, in-laws, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins mean to my life.  I didn’t expect it to be a struggle and yet it is.  Not because I don’t have the words, but because the words seem insufficient.  My family is my life.  My happiest memories involve them.  When something good happens, I want to share it with them.  When times are difficult, I depend on their support and love.  Now that I have children of my own, I honestly do not know what I would do without my family.  Pat and I aren’t raising our kids by ourselves.  We are raising them with our families’ help.  

 We don’t always agree and sometimes we get aggravated with one another.  And that’s ok.  Families aren’t perfect.  I came across this quote and it really resonated with me...  “You don’t love someone because they’re perfect…You love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.”  I love the imperfection.   It inspires me to be better.  But it also inspires me to embrace and accept things that I may not completely understand.  My love of my family has been enriched by how different we all are from each other. 

 As we enter the holiday season, I just want to thank each and every member of our family for being in our lives.  The words seem so inadequate, but they come straight from my heart.  Your love and support mean everything to us and we appreciate all that you do for us.  We love you all so much. 

Day 28 - All the Things

I wanted to take a moments to just list some of things for which I’m thankful that I might not have mentioned yet.  Some are simple and some are more meaningful.  I’m not listing everything – that would take up more than just this blog post!  But I wanted to count my blessings to remind myself of how fortunate I truly am.

• Laughter
• Quiet time
• Doctors and Nurses
• Modern Medicine
• A comfortable place to sleep
• A warm home on a cold day
• Dark Chocolate
• Popcorn
• Game nights
• Family Traditions
• Reliable Transportation
• A glass of wine after a long day
• Snuggles on a Saturday morning
• Mama / Evie Movie Night
• Mitchell’s excitement over trains
• Home cooked meals
• Pizza when you don’t feel like cooking
• Family vacations
• My father-in-law’s generosity
• Flowers when you least expect them
• Conversations with my mom
• My dad’s exuberance at being Pops
• My mother-in-law’s time and bigheartedness
• Visits with GG
• The love my siblings give to my kids
• Long walks
• Mistakes that help us learn
• My kid’s smiles
• Second Chances
• Quiet mornings
• Love
• Peace
• Life
• 
  
  

Day 27 - Teachers

I’m thankful for all of the teachers out there.  It is such a tough job, but they make a huge difference.  I still think about most of my teachers fondly and to this day, my favorite teacher remains my third grade teacher, Mrs. Recker.  She was kind and soft-spoken.  She taught not me lessons from books, but also by example.  I’m pretty sure Pat’s favorite teacher was his high school Spanish teacher aka his mom.

So far, my children have been blessed with wonderful teachers.  Pat and I have said more than once that we don’t know how they do it.  Put me in a room with 10-12 three year old and I’m pretty sure I’d lose my mind.  I can barely keep it together with one.  Teachers are special people doing an incredibly important job and they deserve to be appreciated and thanked.

Day 26 - Seasonal Fun

I’m thankful for the beginning of the holiday season.  I have so many wonderful Christmastime memories from my childhood and I always look forward to creating happy memories with my kids.  Since I didn’t grow up in the Columbus area, I’m not always sure what to do, but it’s fun find new (at least to us) places and experience the holiday through the kids’ eyes.

We went to Wildlights at the zoo last Tuesday because the weather was mild.  It was so much fun to walk around listening to Christmas music, sip hot cocoa and see the beautiful lights.  Talk about putting us in the mood to r Christmas!  We took a train ride and even saw some reindeer.  We can’t be certain, but one of them may have even been Santa’s.  Evelyn and Mitch called out a few reindeer names and when they yelled “Blitzen”, Evelyn swore one of them looked over at her 😉.  

This evening, the kids and I headed to Olde Worthington for a little Holiday fun.  We ate Christmas cookies and looked at all of the Christmas window displays.  The train display in a jewelry store window was definitely a favorite!  I wanted to stay for the tree lighting in the Village Green, but the kids got antsy so we called it a night.  We did look at some neighborhood Christmas lights on the way home though.  Today was fun and I can’t wait to make even more happy Christmas memories.

Day 25 - Pat

I’m so thankful for my husband. 

We actually met 10 years ago exactly.  It’s hard to believe it’s been that long!  I didn’t know then that I’d met my future husband, but I remember thinking that he was something special and he had a great smile 😊.   We’ve learned a lot about each other since that first date.  We drive each other crazy, but we also make each other laugh.  Pat is such a good person and he often inspires me to be better.  He’s my rock.  We’ve been through tough times, but at the end of the day, there is no one with whom I’d rather be spending my life.

Day 24 - Beautiful Days

I’m thankful for beautiful days this time of year.  Days that are crisp, but not frigid, and when the sun shines at least a little bit.  Today was one of those days.  Pat had to work so I took the kids to Highbanks for a little hike.  We wandered down the forest paths, leaves crunching underneath our feet, searching for foxes 🦊 and eagles 🦅 (they really do have eagles there!).  Alas, we didn’t see any, although we swear we caught a glimpse!  We spent some time at the nature center before heading home for some holiday cheer.  The kids snacked on hot cocoa and cookies while watching a Christmas cartoon and then we attempted a Christmas craft with mixed results.  While waiting for our crafts to dry, I couldn’t resist getting the kids outside one more time so we headed to Perry Park for a little playground fun.  

I’m so thankful for the sunshine, the peace and the joy.

L