~ Blessings

It’s November, that time of year when we pay more attention to who and what we’re thankful for. My intention was to do a daily blog this month, mentioning one thing every day that I’m thankful for. While my intentions were good, it’s been a crazy busy month so far and I haven’t been able to do that. I’ve been blessed with so many different things and so many different people in my life. I can honestly say that I have a ‘rich’ life just by the people that I surround myself with.

I’ll get caught up today, on 11-11-11 of all days, and do my best to do a daily blessing through the end of the month.

I’m Thankful For . . .

1 – KJ. Without him, I’d be a mess. His strength, wisdom and love keeps me going. Because of him, I'm a mother and for that alone, I'll be forever thankful. We laugh every day and I know that even though I’m not perfect and I’m definitely not the Barbie doll he married almost 30 years ago, he still loves me just the way I am. We may not always be on the same page but I know that he'll always be there for me, walking beside me and ready to catch me if I fall.

2 – Ryan Michael and Lynsay Michelle. My babies. My heart and soul. The two reasons I’m not just a good mom, but a great mom. They have taught me humility and the true meaning of unconditional love. They are the true gifts in my life.

3 – Cody Lee Luchsinger. My new son-in-law. He loves Lynsay with a passion and for that I’m more than thankful. As the mother of a daughter, I’ve always worried about the man she would one day fall in love with. You want that man to love her deeply and passionately. You want to know that that man will always be there for her; that he’ll never let her down, that he’ll be a good husband and father. With Cody, she’ll have all of that and more.

4- My mom. She ‘chose’ me and despite my many faults and imperfections, she loved me fiercely and unconditionally.

5- My sister. Even though we’re not ‘blood’ sisters, we’re sisters in every other sense of the word. We’re there for each other…always. More importantly, we’re friends.

6- Girlfriends. Can I just say that life is so much better when you have girlfriends to share it with? Your girlfriends automatically ‘get it’. They don’t look at you with that ‘deer in the headlights’ look when you’re telling a story. They can be brutally honest when you need them to be and at the same time, be your staunchest supporter. You don’t like someone? They don’t like them either. Loyalty, baby.

7- Coffee. I love my coffee. The smell, the taste, the gazillion flavors it comes in.

8- Chocolate. Chocolate shouldn’t be included in the basic food groups; it should be it’s own basic food group.

9- My family. We’re small but oh so mighty.

10- Fall. I love Fall. It was one of the main things I missed while living in California. I love everything about fall…the leaves when the change colors, the smell of the air, the crisp, cold mornings. And, Daylight Savings Time. Yeah, I love that one.

11- Veterans. We are the land of the free because of those who continue to protect our country. They leave their friends and families behind while they continually put their lives on the line for us. For our freedom. These men and women are committed to protecting our country and our values. Be so very thankful for them.