Gratitude

I try really hard to be the girl who sees the glass as half full most of the time. I want to give thanks in all things every single day, I really do, but sometimes I fall short of that. When Thanksgiving rolls around, I cannot help but consider the things I am grateful for, or more importantly, the people. I think about the people who have loved me over the years. What stands out most is not the times I have heard the words, but the times these people have shown me love. The cakes baked for my birthday. The clothes, and even my wedding dress, handmade with love. The ear drops I needed as a kid, being warmed on top of the wood stove even though they were always needed in the middle of the night. The man who fixed things for me before I knew they were broken. The people in the bleachers or lawn chairs at sporting events season after season who I knew were there just for me. The man who held my face in his hands when I became a mother.

I guess what I am saying is that this Thanksgiving, my gratitude is not something I want to list like the things I need at the grocery store. It is a feeling that comes from knowing I have people who will always, irrevocably, be on my team. The security in knowing there are people on the sidelines of my life wearing my jersey forever. I also appreciate the opportunity to suit up for them. I know how it feels to be a team player. When someone on my team hurts, I cry, and when they succeed, I do my victory dance. I am so thankful for the people who do the same for me, whether they have been with me for my entire life or they have joined me along the way.

Things don’t always work out the way we plan. Life contains disappointments and diseases. People get caught up in so many unimportant things in the daily chaos that sometimes it is difficult to find what matters. All we can do is adapt and overcome our obstacles, and cheer when our loved ones do the same. You know, with the right support system, things can turn out even better than we could have hoped.