List of things I am thankful for:

Have you ever sat down to write a list of things you are grateful for?  I am going to do that now.

I am thankful for…

My beautiful boys.  They remind me, every day, what life is all about.  And, the fact that they are all healthy is such a gift from god.

My supportive husband.  He helps me with everything and never complains about anything (other than the shoes I leave around the house).  He goes to work all day then comes home and helps me fold the laundry, pick up the house, put the kids to bed…the list goes on, but seriously, he never asks for anything in return.

My parents. They devoted all of their time and resources toward raising us kids- with perspective I now realize what a hard job that is.  My mom goes out of her way to make EVERYTHING special: from the way she wraps gifts to the projects she creates for my kids.   My parents show tons of love and affection to my kids.  The boys just love having them around.

Brad’s parents.  They  raised three of the most wonderful boys.  They never comment on how we parent our children and have nothing but positive feedback for our family.  Also, they don’t make us feel guilty when we can’t make it back to Kansas for holidays.  They just express gratitude when we do make it back. Our boys love and miss them when they don’t get to see them all the time.

My siblings.  Kim, you are such a wonderful mother and you have gift for “going with flow”.  I also love how you express yourself in writing. Maybe you should write a blog!  Bryan, your kindness and compassion towards others is greater than you are aware of.  You are the kind of person that would drop everything to help others.  A rare attribute.

Brad’s siblings.  How does one girl get lucky enough to have such an amazing support network of family?  Brad’s brothers and their wives and children are truly an amazing bunch of people.  Each and every one of them is gifted with a talent.  We just shared our Thanksgiving together and I am energized by their love and solidarity to one another (including me).

My health.  I am blessed to be healthy and wake up every day thinking as much.

My friends.  I am so lucky to have a beautiful circle of friends.  People who support my blog, my family and who are willing to listen to me when I am down.  People who lift me up, say kind things and laugh with me.  My friends over-look the parts of me that are annoying and help me to be a better person.

This is just a snapshot of some of the things I am grateful for.  I don’t want to bore you all with minutiae, but I hope that you will take the time between now and the end of the year, to take inventory of your life and express gratitude for what you have.