Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving week is here again. Here is my list of things that I am thankful for this year...

I am thankful for my parents for loving me through all of my mood swings.
I am thankful for my brothers for being so fun, and helpful, and understanding.
I am thankful for the coolest cousins ever.
I am thankful for friends who love me for me, even when I'm being less than lovable... or vain and superficial.
I am thankful for Joe, for teaching me the importance of loving more, caring more, and enjoying life more.
I am thankful for my fellow widdas & widders for making me feel sane in times of insanity.
I am thankful that I have the kind of Pastor who will drive to my place just to get rid of a dead bird, because I'm a wimp.
I am thankful that my Pastor is married to the kind of lady who will hunt me down when I run away so that I have a shoulder to cry on... and will celebrate with me when I have happy red shoe days.

Which brings me to the other things I'm thankful for...
... red shoes, of course. And striped socks.
.... my beloved Steelers (Stillers!) - even when they make game watching stressful.
.... this magical creation known as pizza.
.... my Tuesday evening phone calls.
.... couch conversations.
.... soul dancing in the kitchen, hula dancing in the family room, and silly dancing on the train.
.... sushi buffets.
.... stars.
... tea and cookies... or tea and cake... or tea and silliness... or just the friends that share all of that with me.
... being able to share secrets and stories.
... little kid smiles and hugs.
... the kind of snow that looks like glitter falling from the sky.
... coffee ice cream. Or any ice cream with peanut butter!
... Christmas lights.
... secret Chik-fil-A runs.
... the opportunity to sit and breathe after certain little brothers create situations in which you have to unexpectedly run so fast your legs feel like jelly.
... the super cool magnets on my fridge.
... my swings, in my park. :)
... jellybeans.
... blue nailpolish.
... hugs.

I am blessed.

I think a great part of being blessed and feeling blessed is an attitude. Some people seemingly have the world in the palm of their hands, and yet they are miserable. Others seem to have nothing and yet are filled with joy.

I always try to remind myself how blessed I am at the end of each day. This past year when I was experiencing the toughest months of my life I realized just how blessed I am. More times than I could count, people would say, "I envy you." or "You're so lucky." Every time I heard that, I'd be surprised. What made me enviable or lucky was different to each person. All I could think was, "what kind of emptiness do they feel in their life that they could be envious of me?"

But I am blessed. I know it. Sometimes, it feels unfair how blessed I am. I truly hope that anyone who still reads my ramblings feels truly blessed as well. Happy Thanksgiving.