1. Lover. As most of you already know, MD and I just celebrated 5 years together and I really can't imagine my life without him. I am so thankful to have such a loving and supportive man in my life. Sure we may fight sometimes (what couple doesn't), sure there are times where we act a little crazy (again, what couple doesn't), but I know that through thick and thin he will always be there for me which makes me the luckiest girl in the world.
2. My Parents. My parents and I did not always get along... I would love to tell you that we did, but we didn't. As I have gotten older I have come to understand them a lot better and as a result we have a much better relationship and I appreciate what they have done for me way more. I am so thankful that my parents were able to put me through college, that they were able to make sure that I lived a secure life when I was younger, and most importantly that they taught me how to love. My parents were never short on love when we were kids (even though I swore they didn't love me when I was in trouble) and they always made sure that we knew how much they loved us... from little notes in our lunch boxes, to always signing cards with a bunch of little Xs and Os at the bottom, to telling us constantly that they loved us.
3. My Family (the rest of my family, not including my parents because well they deserved their own reasons why I was thankful for them). Not gonna lie, I have a pretty amazing family. Sure we are LOUD, sure we are all opinionated, sure we can all be a pain in the butt sometimes, but frankly I don't know what I would do without them. I was blessed with the opportunity to know ALL of my grandparents...and even a couple of my great-grandmothers. I am blessed with 2 wonderful aunts who love me like their own daughter. And I am also blessed with a little brother who I may not have loved when he first came into this world but who I can't imagine living without at this point. My family is fairly small and all live fairly close to each other (i.e. we all live within a couple hours drive of each other) and I am thankful for the time that we get to spend together. My life would be incomplete without my small immediate family and I thank God every day for them all.
4. My Friends. I think I have some of the best friends in the entire world. My best friends are the type of friends that I can call at 4am when I can't sleep because something terrible has happened and they will be there for me to talk through whatever it is that is bothering me. They are the type of friends that for the most part will drop everything to be there for me. They are the type of friends who are always there to lend a hand or a word of encouragement. They are supportive. I am thankful that I have such great friends in my life, because well not many people can truly say that they have some of the greatest friends in the world. At one point I couldn't even say that. But as I have grown older I know who my true friends are and for them I am truly thankful.
5. Having a job (albeit not my dream job or even a job in my field). With the economy as bad as it is, I am truly thankful that I have some sort of job making me some sort of money. Granted I am still at the SAME job that I worked at to get through law school, but at least it is a job. At least I am no longer a hostess... I am a server/bartender so I am making more money now. There are plenty of people out there without jobs, so I thank my lucky stars every day that I still have some sort of a way to make money in a world where people are struggling.
6. A working car. This may seem like a strange thing to be thankful for, but if you knew all the problems I had with my old car, you'd understand. I loved my old car, but towards the end it was a money pit and I was afraid to drive it because I couldn't afford to fix it. Last year, thanks to the help of my family, I was finally able to lease a new car... a car that I felt safe driving. So I am thankful to no longer be driving a death trap and to know that I can make it from point A to point B in one piece.
7. The opportunity to travel abroad in 2006. In January 2006 I began a journey to find myself while studying abroad in Granada, Spain. I did NOT want to go to Spain, in fact my parents bribed me with a car to get me to go. I am so thankful that my parents made me go because well Spain was a huge part of how I became who I am today. I came back from Europe with more self-confidence, with a sense of knowing how to be independent, I was cultured, I had seen a lot. Spain and my travels through Europe are to this day probably the best 5 months of my entire life. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to travel there and to study there and to become who I was meant to be.
8. Being a Bucknellian (yes, I know this is a super weird thing to be thankful for). I was born into a family of Bucknellians. My parents are both Bucknellians. Both my grandmothers are Bucknellians. Both my aunts are Bucknellians. My great aunt & great uncle are Bucknellians. Many of my cousins are Bucknellians. Orange and Blue runs in my blood. Being able to go to Bucknell and to share that experience with my family is something that is really hard to describe... there is just something about Bucknell that you can't truly understand unless you have been a student there. Plus if I hadn't gone to Bucknell I wouldn't have met my lover and my life wouldn't be what it is today. So thank you Bucknell for continuing to let me bleed orange and blue, for keeping my family connected in a strange yet awesome way, and for introducing me to the love of my life.
9. Holidays. I am very thankful for holidays because it means time off from work to spend time with my favorite people... friends and family. Holidays are the times of the year when I know that no matter what MD and I are going to find ways to visit our families... that we are going to spend lots of quality time in the car together driving from place to place... but that in the end we will have an amazing time because we will be spending it with our families. I also know that even though we are traveling to visit our families, that we will also find the time to celebrate the holidays with our friends. Time off from work and being able to spend it with my favorite people is definitely something to be thankful for.
10. My faith. It is hard to describe why I am thankful for my faith...but I am going to try. I just know that I thank God every day that I believe in Him and that I believe that He has a plan for all of us. Sometimes, when bad things happen, I may doubt Him, but in the end I always have faith that everything happens for a reason even if I may not always be able to understand it. I know that God has a plan for me and that He will not throw anything my way that He thinks that I can't handle. It may not always seem like that is the way, but deep down I know it is. I am so thankful that I have this faith in Him and that I can continue to have faith even when times have not always been the greatest.
Great things to be thankful for!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful reminder to be thankful and appreciative :) Thanks xx
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