Thankful

Seeing as how tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I thought I'd take the opportunity to write about a few things that I am most thankful for.

First and foremost, I am thankful for my family. My mom and my sister are two people I absolutely could not do without. They support me through thick and thin, they give me hugs when I need them, are always there to listen, and tease me constantly (to make sure I don't take myself too seriously, I'M SURE). I love them both very much, and more than anything else in the world, I am thankful for the two of them.

*I considered putting an embarrassing picture of the two of them up here, but thought it might negate all of the nice things I just said...

I am thankful for my wonderful friends who, even though I have been living in a hole for the last few months, never stop calling. I have so many different sets of friends -- volleyball friends from Lincoln and from Texas, running friends (who have become so much more than just people I run with), my two wonderful friends from Hastings, and very dear friends that have stuck with me since high school. Over the last year, these friends have had weddings and babies, lost loved ones and pets, triumphed and failed, and through it all, they have allowed me to remain in their lives and have never failed to be there for me when I needed them most.

I am thankful for the fact that (even though at times I want to deposit the entire contents of my desk into the trash can in one fell swoop) I am able to do something that I love. This has been the hardest semester of my life - unfortunately it's not over quite yet, and extra unfortunately, I'm sure there will be one in my future that tops this. However, every day, I get to get out of bed and pursue my dreams. I feel extremely fortunate, especially in an economic climate where some people have lost their jobs and their homes, to be able to do something that I enjoy so much, AND to have a steady (albiet small) income from doing it.

I am thankful that I have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a roof over my head. I am thankful to have a body (minus the knees) that has allowed me to run two half marathons and the mental toughness to finish them.

I am thankful for my cats that keep me company and keep me warm at night. (That's my Nellie in the picture.)

I am thankful for Aaron because he sees who I really am. He is one of the kindest, most genuine and open people I have ever known. He enjoys doing things that make me happy and appreciates the things that I do for him. I haven't always had this in my life, and I recognize how lucky I am to have it now.

There are so many more things to be thankful for and I couldn't possibly list them all here (I do have a paper to write this weekend, after all!). Tomorrow, as I (try not to) stuff myself with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and lots of pie ... as I sit around the dinner table with my mom, my sister, aunt, uncle, cousins, Aaron, and Aaron's family, I am going to try to remember how thankful I am - how lucky I am to have all of these things to be thankful for ... then I'm going to have another piece of pie...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

What are YOU thankful for???