Being Thankful

As Thanksgiving draws nearer, I wanted to express my gratitude for a few of the blessings I have in my life. While I'm thankful for these people/things year round, it's nice to take a moment and really think about them. First, my husband. We've been married a little over six years now. He was my first boyfriend (I didn't date much, like, ever). He fell in love first. It took me a little longer because I wanted to be sure he was the right one. I had planned to date for at least a year before getting married. We dated a total of 5 1/2 months. Best decision I ever made. He works harder than anyone else I know at a job he doesn't like, for money that doesn't always come when we need it to. We've struggled financially throughout our whole marriage, but he is always optimistic that things will get better. He treats me like a queen even though I don't always act like one. Someday, when we're finally blessed with children, he will be an awesome father. I love him more every day.

My parents and siblings. My parents are the best example of what a happy marriage looks like. They recently celebrated their 41st anniversary. They continue to love, support, celebrate, and pray for, all their children and their families. I love them so much! My three brothers and one sister are the best siblings a girl could ask for. We didn't always get along growing up, but we're really close now. My brothers are pretty hilarious, my sister is beautiful. They're each married to a great person. And my niece and nephews are adorable. I love my family!

My talents. I think my earliest talent is playing the piano. I started when I was nine. My teacher was a neighbor down the street (shout out to the Linders!). For the first few years, I hated practicing. It was hard and I thought counting the notes was stupid. Now, I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. I love being able to sit at a piano and play whatever I want. Music is a blessing. Next came art. I didn't really get into art until Jr. High, and didn't get remotely good until high school. I'm still not as good as I'd like to be, though I continue to learn new things and how to use different mediums. I still have a goal to create manga. I've got a long way to go. Finally, writing. I've written about writing before. It's something I have to do. The ideas that come to my brain aren't there just for fun. Again, I'm not as good as I want to be, which is why I'll never stop doing it.

My religion. I owe everything I have to my Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ. I know for a fact that I would not be the person I am without Them. I'm actually afraid to think about the kind of person I'd be if I didn't have Them in my life. Despite difficulties and the scary things going on around us, I have faith that everything will be okay.

I'm thankful for so many more people and things. I'd be typing for hours to include them all, but I have Christmas presents to make. I'll be taking a break from blogging for most of the rest of the year, though I will pop in around Christmas or if I have something extraordinary to share.