Thankful For....

....a wonderful husband, friends, a huge family, the sunshine....

It's been almost 3 months since my mom's stroke, and she's still struggling with recovery. Seeing her so vulnerable and in need hasn't been easy for anyone, especially her. Still, I think it's made everyone appreciate her, dad, and the rest of the family just that much more. No one could do it alone.

I've started to really evaluate the influence that my mom has been in my life. I wouldn't be who I am today without her. Besides the obvious, she's taught me the value of giving. She's always been willing and ready to help anyone that she can. If she saw a need in someone else's life, she'd do what she could to fill it. She, by chance, met a woman while on vacation who had a sister in need of some help. Her sister had a baby, and no babysitter. She had to work. When my mom found out that this woman lived near her, she offered to babysit. She babysat for Jonny (and then Katie) Davis for years simply because she could. Karma is really paying off for her now. She's had more friends and family ready and willing to help. I'm really thankful for all of those people!

Mom also has this amazing ability to put herself in another person's place. She tries not to be judgemental. Despite the fact that Tim's ex-fiance hurt him so much, she doesn't want to judge her. Emily is back in Tim's life, and Tim is happy about it. Not everyone else in the family has been as accepting (including myself at times), but mom doesn't want to hear her family say bad things about Emily. She doesn't want Emily to be uncomfortable when she's with us. She just wants Tim to be happy. She sure as heck doesn't want to live our lives for us!

She's independent (read: ridiculously stubborn). She avoids having to rely on any one else. My dad had a very successful and demanding career. He wasn't always around. She managed to raise 6 children (who all turned out pretty damn good, I think!). She encouraged us all to do whichever extra curricular activities we wanted. She helped raise her 2 oldest grandchildren. And she did this all while keeping her house beautiful and supporting my dad through his career. She's some sort of super woman, really!!

I'm especially thankful for her stubbornness now. She has a long road in front of her, but she sure as heck doesn't want to have to continue to rely on everyone for the rest of her life. She's doing everything in her power to change her situation.

She taught me about being a great mom and an amazing person. I hope only hope that I can be as amazing as she has been and really make her proud.

Other things that I'm thankful for:
- My dad. He might be a little overwhelmed, but he's doing anything and everything in his power.
- My amazing sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephew. It's been a hard few months, but everyone is coming together and taking on whatever responsibilities they can to help.
- My fantastic husband, especially when he tells me he's ready to be a dad :-)
- Snickers Darks, and dark chocolate in general. Hot tea. The kids that play right outside the window of my apartment. Cynicism and pessimism, especially when related to work. In-laws that I'm happy to call family (and not just in-laws. that sounds so negative).