Thankful I am.
It’s been awhile since my last post, and while I’ve got a few ideas jotted down (for both this blog as well as my Tekamba blog, I just don’t seem to schedule the time to sit down and type them up. But, today being Thanksgiving, I decided it was important to make sure and post.
Thanksgiving is meant to be a day to give thanks, so I decided I would, I am thankful for:
My kids – while I am not always the best at letting them know, each of them (both my kids and those through my relationships) make me proud of their choices as they grow and mature. They aren’t always the best of choices, but one thing I’ve discovered is that I need to allow them to stumble a bit from time to time. I can share the wisdom of my years (look at me, sounding all groweded up!) but most of the time the best teacher is from the school of hard knocks. It’s tough to stand by and let them falter, but each time they have amazed me at their ability to recover and move forward. And that is important. I love all of you guys and hope you know while my decisions for you may not always make the most sense to you, there is always a reason for the choices I make.
My parents – when I was younger they were superhero’s, then I became a teen/young adult, and I knew it all. As I continue to grow I realize each day that they are far wiser than I am and I am thankful for their willingness to share that wisdom with me. I know of so many others that don’t have the relationship with their parents that I do (or their families for that matter). I’ve always taken our close family a bit for granted, over the last few years I’ve learned that what we have is truly something special and the reason we have that is because of the way my parents raised us. Thank you mom and dad, I can only hope I make you as proud as my kids are making me. I love you both very much and can’t even fathom having to go through life without you by my side, even though you are miles and miles away.
My siblings – four kids, and we all seem to be so different from each other. However, I know without even the most miniscule of doubt, that we would all walk through fire for each other if needed. We’ve all got our own definitions for success, but we all support each other fully as we each strive for our own unique goals in life. I cherish every chance we get to see each other, and hope that it rubs off on all of our children and they put family above all else and never let some silly little dispute keep them from each other. My brothers and sister and I have all managed to keep our lines of communication open (though infrequent) as we’ve grown and I am very thankful for that. All four of us in four different states, but I know that if I ever needed any of them, they would be at my side as quickly as time allowed. I love knowing that, and I love each of you.
My girlfriend – Finally I’ve found someone that I think I am able to make as happy as she makes me. Who else would share the excitement of obtaining a new Yoda Christmas tree topper? Or start teaching herself how to work on websites, or computers, or whatever might help me with my business because she believes in me and what we can build it to? I know she doesn’t know how much she means to me and how impossible it would be to find anyone who is a better fit for all my little quirks and idiosyncrasies. The further fact that she loves my mother (and once she meets dad I know she will find him as wonderful as I do too!) just clinches it. I love you Veronica, you make me happy each day and thankful that you allow me to share your life.
My nieces and nephews – I started off all the child-rearing, so I have the oldest kids among us all, but now they are all getting to be so big and such great young adults. I cyber stalk all of them that I can, and love seeing them post their daily exploits. Once again, it goes to show my parents did quite a few things right that each of my siblings has kids that make all of us proud. All of you are growing up to be such beautiful and thoughtful young adults. I can’t wait to have the chance to spend more and more time with each of you and continue to watch you grow. I’m probably going to overuse this word in this whole post but you all make me so proud with the things you hold dear to your heart. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, because I know for a fact each of you will achieve whatever goal you set before you. I love all of you and am here for you any time, day or night, that you need me.
My extended family – All my aunts, uncles, cousins, friends who are family, friends who I don’t get to see/talk to nearly enough, each of you has had an impact on my life and shaped me to be the person I am today. I think of all of you probably more often than you realize, and I always consider what you would think of me as I debate different paths I can take in my life. Typically if I can think that any ONE of you would be disappointed in a particular choice, it helps me to decide to do the exact opposite. Those I haven’t seen in awhile, I miss you and hope we can see each other soon. Thank you for all you have done for me.
I have so many things to be thankful for, I am far richer than any financial amount could replace. I’ve been blessed by everyone that has been a part of my life, and I look forward to what the future holds for all of us.
Gerg