I am thankful for...

Well, with Thanksgiving almost here, I thought it would be nice to remember the things that we are thankful for this season. I have a whole list, but I'll try to keep it short:

• MY FAMILY! I know this sounds trite, and this is what everyone would say, but it's so true!
  
• Dan :) I am so incredibly blessed to have found my soul mate at 18, and even luckier to be married to him now.
  
• I am so grateful that I have parents that I am still incredibly close to, even after I'm all "grown up." I'm so lucky that my mom truly is one of my best friends
  
• I'm so lucky that I have a brother with whom I never experienced any sibling rivalry; we've always been the best of friends
• I'm grateful for my many wonderful aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.
  
• I'm grateful that Tracy and Dan are more than our aunt and uncle; they're also our very dear friends
  
• Of course, Dan & I adore our wonderful goddaughter, Rori, as well as Kirsti. It's so wonderful having "kids" we can spoil!
• I also LOVE my sister-in-law and her husband; they are two of the most caring people we know, and I'm glad to have them as family. I'm also SO lucky to not have the stereotypical mother-in-law problems; my mother-in-law is amazing!
  
• Our health. I am so glad that our entire family is so healthy. Sure, we may have a few issues here and there (I wish Dan didn't have asthma; I wish Tracy didn't have ITP), but for the most part, we are an incredibly healthy family!
• Our home.
  
• Our jobs (that allow us to live in said home). Plus, I actually really like and am fulfilled by my job, so that's a plus!
  
• Our freedom
• Maxine :) I know she's "just" a cat, but she brings so much happiness to us!

Really, I am truly blessed. The only thing I really have to be upset about is the fact that we lost my grandpa on November 10, although this is obviously a huge thing. I still get so sad to think that he's not going to be up at the cabin anymore, waiting to greet us each summer, but at the same time, I know he's with my grandma Eleanore again, so I'm thankful for that. I just wish they were together, here. But even in the face of sadness, I realize that I'm lucky that he lived so long, so healthfully, and although I never got to meet my grandma, I'm thankful for all the wonderful stories about her (as well as her name) that was passed on to me.

So it really is a joyous season, and we are all so blessed.