So much to be thankful for!!

This year, like years past I am so very thankful for everything God has blessed me with. Instead of saying in sentences what I am thankful for, I am going to make a list. To me that is so much easier. So here it s.

1)My belief in God
2)My health
3)My family (that includes Ryan and his family also)
4)My amazing friends(friends at church, from college, and friends from Ryan's work)
5)My mom
6)My tremendous support system
7)The air I breath (I know weird, but I am thankful for that since 3 yrs ago I had issues breathing)
8)The many abilities God has given me to demonstrate his AMAZING love
9)My kind nature, abiility to be a good listener, and friendly personality
10)The smile that God gave me to cheer people up

So this is my brief list of what I am thankful for this year. Yes number 5 is what I am thankful for, but that is also what I feel is missing.

A brief look into how we used to spend Turkey Day when she was home and not sick. We would watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, among the other parades that were on. Then I would also make what we needed to bring to my grandma's for Thaksgiving Day celebration at her place. We would get up there, and then have good fellowship with family, eat great food, watch FOOTBALL, and then make new memories. Granted this isn't the first Holiday without her. We did have Easter with her being gone this year. That was actually okay. Ryan's parents were up here and they kept us busy. Ryan's mom and I went shopping, and the boys did their annual trip to Fleet and Scheels. But we had fun and that was good. I needed it.

Granted I miss my mom a bunch, wish I could just talk to her and have her talk back to me, give her a hug, and just plain 'ol just see her. I am fine. I can talk about her death now, and use the word death more now than passing. And I am not crying as I type this. The only time I cry, when talking about my mom's death is when I need to talk to Ryan about it. That is the only time I cry. Unless at church it is All Saint's Day, no songs are played from her funeral or the one's that she liked. I am fine at church then. I bring kleenex with me for that just in case moment.

Well, my mom's headstone is down by her grave. I won't be seeing today, but I will ask Ryan tomorrow if we can do it together. Since I am not quite ready to go down there by myself and see it. At least not the first time. I will take my camera with me, so you all can see it also. It should look pretty cool. But I will have a picture to prove it and you guys can decide. Well, not sure if I will blog tomorrow or Friday. So either way I will have a pic up of her gravestone.

Happy Thanksgiving all! Have safe travels to where ever you are going if you are going anywhere. Tomorrow is walk at 8am with my family (will post the flyer in another blog shortly), change clothes, go to Ryan's watch the parade (if I can convince Ryan too), watch the Packer game with Ryan and a friend, and then go to my grams for Thanksgiving Dinner with a butt load of food (not weight watchers friendly but I will try to practice portion control) and punch.

Jodes