Thanksgiving...What it means to me:-)

Thanksgiving is a great time to spend with family and friends.  For us, Pete has mostly worked on Thanksgiving so it is just like another PA day...kids are home, we go to a parade and then we prepare a nice big supper for us to share.

This year we had family come from out of town and we enjoyed an AMAZING meal with them.  We got to visit with them and with most of our local family too. 

Makes me think about family and what it means.  I am 34 (almost 35) this year and I have a large family.  Not everyone that I consider family is related by blood.  I have some friends who are even closer then my blood family, they are the ones that I can count on in a pinch, they are the ones that I can help out in a pinch.  Our relationship is 2 way...not just 1 side giving and 1 side taking, it is each of us doing equal parts, in different ways.

I don't know if everyone has a friend like this, but I definitely think that everyone NEEDS a friend like this.  Someone that you can be honest with, and that same person will hold you fully accountable when the time comes for that. 

I have a church family who supports me and my family when it is needed.  I also like to and try to be there for them when needed as well.  They have been with us when we mourned the loss of our daughter, Angel, they were there for us when we grieved and then fought for our daughter Faith and they are still there for us, walking with us and crying with us, holding us up when we get tired and I couldn't imagine my life without them in it.

I love that my kids are amazing.  I love that they are accepting and they are compassionate.  I love that they like to help, and when they don't want to help, they still do.  I love that they are all so unique and I love that they have taught me so much more then I could have ever learned in school...

Most of all, I love that my husband is who he is.  We are so far from having a perfect relationship, but we have a "perfect for us" relationship.  We allow each other to speak, to be heard and to grow.  Our communication is great, we actually talk to each other, we relay schedules to each other, we run our house pretty smoothly...even though it is not always clean.  We take time to spend together, we catch little "dates" when opportunities arise.  It could just be appetizers, or a movie, or even just driving.  We turn medical appointment drives into dates too...We also spend time apart and that is ok, because it gives us that down time and it gives us an opportunity to learn about ourselves more.  We are also looking forward to our trip to Cuba coming up in April!! (just a tad excited;-)

So, this may not be the "thankful list" that others have posted, but it is what I am thankful for.  In a nutshell... family and friends.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING:-)