Firing up the Canon

Today I am thankful for the moments when we set aside our differences. We have so much to learn from each other in our lives. We owe it to each other to tear down our walls and listen more intently.  We have to give more.  We have to love harder. Relationships are one of the biggest components of life.  They open our minds, comfort us, motivate us and change us.  If we work  harder to be kinder and treat people with ultimate respect we will make life easier for everyone. I'm sorry to anyone I have hurt. I forgive those who have hurt me. These are the moments after that - where we have the opportunity to make it right and to treat each other well. Thank you for all of you out there who are trying.  I know that I am.

Today I am thankful for health and for the awareness to not take it for granted. I pray for everyone who is struggling with their health right now and I actively try to remember to celebrate my own.

Today I am thankful for days away from the computer. Hope you all have enjoyed yours as much as I have mine. xoxoxox. Night.

Today I am thankful for Serenity and everything the past 7 plus years has brought to my life.   Trust. Balance. Tears of Joy. Laughter. Commitment. Meaning. Purpose. Excitement. Family. Renewed Holidays. A Home. And most of all Love. Through her I know more about life and more about myself. Through her I have seen the best in people.   And, I have seen within myself an unwavering conviction about what truly matters to me. I love you, Serenity.

Today I'm thankful for the periods of time that cement close friendships. It's the thing that happens early in life when you see someone every day in school...or later in life at work.  It's getting to live with someone for a year and sharing meals, late nights and early mornings.  It's the people you count on seeing every week at the gym.  The people you are lucky enough to share your path with for a piece of time - long enough to let them inside. I've always been so thankful for the times that open that gate to long, intimate friendships. The experiences that make comfortable, lifelong friendships possible. The moments that foreshadow dinners and phone calls reserved for catching up.  The things you look back on and have to connect over and share for the rest of your life. So...to the faces and heart warming voices that keep showing back up...I'm thankful for you and the road we took to get here.

Today I'm thankful for laughter. It's healing from the inside out.  It's contagious.  It's healthy.  It lets your soul float for a moment. There's the moments when laughter is inappropriate, like in church, where it elevates to an even higher level and cannot be stopped.  The kind that starts just by looking at someone.  The kind that you have to stand up just to shake it out. I'm always amazed when I find someone that my sense of  humor is in sync with and we laugh together more than we do anything else. Or when someone's laugh is so heart warming that I find myself laughing along with them without having any knowledge of why I'm laughing. Oooh and those moments where I find myself alone, mentally rehashing something that has happened and I start uncontrollably giggling to myself. Laughter, God it's good.

Today I am thankful for changes.  To saying yes to something new or unexpected. To opening my arms to everything that I can.  To bending with the plans.  Without change there is no forward progress or growth.  I appreciate all that I learn from each new thing that enters my life.  

Today I am thankful for Christmas Music. Bring it on.  Early and often. It warms my soul and melts my heart.  It takes me back home and back to childhood.  It creates snow with no need for a shovel.  It helps me to relive memories and to create them. It tucks me in and brings Santa to my sleep over and over again. Magic.

Today I am thankful for the support of the people around me. The decisions that we have to make and the things that we have to do aren't always easy. We are able to get so much more done when we work together and support one another. The people that stand by my side make my life easier.  I think smarter. I act more confidently.  I get more done. I push harder when I think I'm ready to give in.  I sleep sounder knowing that I'm not alone. Today is a big thank you to the people in my life who have my back.

Today I am thankful for family dinners. Delicious food shared over great conversation and familiar laughter.  The stories told and retold.  Saying yes to second helpings. Glasses of wine. The togetherness that comes not often enough. The way you can't tell it's been weeks.  Ordering exactly what she wants just so that you can share. Remembering the people who are no longer here to join us. Feeling as if they are. It's the people that know you longest that make the flavor of the food run deep. Family dinners are one thing I cannot live without.

Today I am thankful for mornings at home. Waking up slowly. Making breakfast. The unmistakeable sounds of the start of a day. Laughing. Talking. Home-brewed coffee. Mornings at home give me time to start my day with the people that mean the most to me.  A few extra hours in my pajamas. An energizing start to my day.

Today I am thankful for responsibilities. The things I do for others and for myself. Love. Kids. People. Dogs. Home. My body. My mind. Work. Bills. Every one of these responsibilities help me to live my life with purpose.  I have reasons to get up and go every morning. I give more to my day.  And I get more out of my day. Because of the things I've taken responsibility for I live a more fulfilling life.  I recognize that without them I'd be feeling lost and unguided. Everything that I give myself to gives back to me a meaningful way.

Today I am thankful for love. In every form. In every random act of kindness. In every surrender. In sharing. In giving. In receiving. In glances and gestures. In tears and laughter. For teaching me to becoming bigger I ever thought I could be.

Today I am thankful for fragility. Fragility of life, moments, relationships, ages, and feelings. The awareness that everything has a beginning and an end helps me to live my life putting love first. It helps me to take moments in more deeply and think through decisions. I'm not afraid to say I'm sorry or to forgive. I'm not afraid to put myself out there. Rejection doesn't scare me into losing time. I'm not afraid to look back and feel the past. I'm know how to move on and how to hang on for dear life.  I take each moment seriously, but can laugh through most anything. Fragility helps me to live in the moment and for that I am thankful every day.

Today I am thankful for family.  For the connections that strengthen with the truth.  For traditions and  memories.  For every call I get that reminds me that we are in this together.  For the times that came before the struggle.  For the hope of even better times to come. For the acceptance.  For the season that brings more time together.  For a place to call home that has nothing to do with four walls.  For the lines on my face that remind me of his.  For the relationships that have nothing to do with bloodlines, but everything to with commitment and family. For time. Years. Faces. Love. I have been blessed.