Grateful

All month long on Facebook some of my friends have been posting everyday about what they are grateful for. I doubt I could keep that up all month long, but since today is Thanksgiving I thought I'd list what I am grateful for.

My husband. BT is seriously a good guy and is a great husband and father. He is the kind of man I hope Bub grows up to be and the kind of man I hope Button marries (if she is so inclined). On any given day, he is doing schoolwork, watching our daughter, doing laundry, cooking dinner or doing homework with Bub. Not that he doesn't have his faults, but he is a true partner and I am thankful for that.

My children. They are the light in my life. I try not to think about what I'm missing when I am at work and away from them but sometimes I let it get to me and I miss them. I try to spend as much time paying attention to them as I can when I am with them though. They are the best thing I've ever done and there are really no words for how much I love them.

My parents. They do so much for us and I don't know if I can every repay them for their time and their generosity, helping us out when we were in a bad place last year. They are always willing to watch their grandchildren or let us hang out over there. My mother is the kind of mother I strive to be. I have never doubted her love for me or her willingness to be there for me. And my parents have never made me feel like an inconvenience or like now that I am grown I am unwanted. They, especially my mom, have always made me feel wanted.

My sister. We haven't always gotten along. In fact, it wasn't until recently that we have become really good friends. It was a rough time growing up but now I can honestly say she is one of my best friends. She moved back to Louisiana from Oklahoma last year and it looked like she moving back again recently and I found myself praying everyday that she would get another job in Louisiana and thou and behold she did and I am relieved and happy that she will be staying. She is an amazing aunt to my son and daughter and Bub loves her so much. She spends so much time with him and he looks for her when she is gone. Thick as thieves, those two are and it is wonderful to behold.

My cousin. My cousin and I are 15 months apart and we have been best friends since she was born. She is the person I share a brain with as our family likes to say and she is the person who always gets it. She lives in Oklahoma so growing up we saw each other like twice a year and that number has remained the same as we have gotten older. I don't get to visit her as much as I like but it is always fun when I do see her. Now she is pregnant with her first child and I cannot wait til she is a mother and we can share in that experience too.

The rest of our family and friends. We are surrounded by people who we love and who love us back which is a wonderful thing and something I try not to take for granted. I truly cannot wish for better people. We may not see everyone a lot but when we do it is great. BT's parents are always happy to see us, especially their grandchildren, and I love how much they love them.

My job and BT's job. It's not until you lose something that you really appreciate it. Last year BT lost his job and it is one of the hardest things. So I am grateful for my job and the money it gives us and the house it pays for and the bed I get to sleep in. I am grateful for his job and the money it gives us and the groceries it buys and the food we get to eat every night. I am grateful for the work friends I have who make it ok to get up and go to work and leave my children for the day. Am I in love with my job? No. There are problems as always but it provides me with a purpose beyond my family and it teaches me what I really want in a workplace and has made me a better manager and a more tactful person.

Mostly I am thankful for being loved and having people to love. I am grateful I have a house and a bed and pets. I am grateful I have nice clothes and have shoes and socks. I am grateful I have a car to drive and books to read and that I can read and write and type. I am grateful for dance parties with my children and Eskimo kisses and hugs and "I love you too Mom" and nursing my daughter and cuddles. I am grateful that I can buy nice things for my children and my niece and nephew. I am grateful that sometimes our parents will take us out to lunch and that my mom will take the kids to her house when I am sick so I can take a nap. I am grateful my sister likes to take her nephew places so I am not always the one amusing him. I am grateful that my parents come to all his soccer and/or tee ball games. I am grateful that BT's parents will drive over to see him play even if it is just once a season. I am grateful that they like to take him to Florida once a summer so he can go to the beach even if I can't and that one day they want to take him to Europe because I don't know if I will ever be able to provide that kind of experience and I want him, I want them, to see the world. I am grateful for all the million and one tiny moments in life that make life worth living.

I am grateful. I am thankful.