Merry Christmas 2013

December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas 2013

As I sit at my computer and try to think of exactly what I want to say for this week’s post, there are tons of thoughts floating through my head. This is a hard time of year for me. It has been this way for several years now. I think it has to do with the lack of day light and the cold weather – neither of which are my favorites. Regardless, during December and January I struggle to stay positive and not depressed and angry. I am trying my best this year not to get in the depressive states that I have in past years. With that, I’m trying to be “glass half full” in my thinking. So to stay in those positive, upbeat thoughts, I will leave you this Christmas Eve with my thoughts on all the things I am thankful for. I have so much in life to be thankful for. I don’t think I’ve ever taken the time to list them. I think about that song I’ve sang in church all of my life “Count Your Many Blessings.” Blessed I truly am! Here we go…

I am thankful for my husband Wayne. I am thankful for the relationship that we have; the friendship that we’ve been blessed with as well as the marriage. He is truly my best friend, through thick and thin, richer and poorer, sickness and health. We have had many more ups than we have downs but our downs have always brought us closer together and made us realize how fortunate we are to have each other. I cannot imagine, nor do I want to imagine, my life without him in it. He has taught me what it is like to love and be loved and that to me is absolutely priceless! His love and support in all of my crazy dreams has been constant. He is my rock!

I am thankful this year that my husband and I both have jobs that provide for our home, food on our table, food for all of the critters, vehicles to take us to and from work, and some of the wants that we have. Jobs are few and far between these days and we both have been blessed with good ones.

I am thankful for my family. To me family doesn’t always mean that it is filled with those that are related to me by blood either. I have a wonderful husband. I have a mom and dad who, as far as I’m concerned, still walk on water. I have an awesome big brother that I still look up to – literally and figuratively. I have a daughter and a son that have welcomed me into their lives and have allowed me to call them daughter and son. They have given me eleven beautiful grandchildren that are each ones blessings in their own separate ways. They are amazing little people and I am very thankful to be able to watch them grow and learn. I have a sister-in-law and brother-in-law that are more like sister and brother to me and I don’t know what I’d do without either one of them! And so many, more.

I am thankful for those souls that have touched my life and have gone on to be with God. I was lucky enough to know all four of my grandparents. I miss them each and every day. My dad’s dad was such a jolly man and he loved Christmas and everything about it – he was probably more excited at Christmas than we kids were. I will never forget his laugh or the joy he had when we would go to their house on Christmas Eve and have our family time. Memories of all four of them around this time of year are many and are very precious! I was also very lucky to have been able to be part of my grandson Chase’s life, or rather for him to have been part of mine. Chase was a rare angel that we were blessed to be in contact with for his twelve short years on earth. He taught me more about innocence and seeing the world through pure and untainted eyes than I could have ever dreamed of. He was a much better adult than I will ever hope to be. He was taken from us way too soon, but I am so thankful and so blessed to have known him, held him, watched him , and learned from him for the time that we did have. So while I miss these dear and precious people, and I will miss them till the day that I die, I still rejoice in them having touched my life and my heart. I hold dear the many lessons that I learned from them all.

I am thankful to a dear friend and my soul-sista Stephanie for just being there for me. If it were possible, we had to have been twins in another life. I’m thankful for her encouragement and her support with this writing venture. Without her, I don’t know if I’d have ever had the courage to follow this writing dream and path that we’re forging.

I am thankful for all of the critters that have come into my life this year. To some, that would sound crazy, but for those that love their critters the way I do, I know you all get it. I never got to have pets when I was growing up, so I’ve more than made up for it now. Each of the nine horses that live here have different personalities and quirks. The donkey is the coolest little critter ever. And then there’s the mule, he’s our comic relief. We still have “the girls,” our two little dogs and they’re still prissy and silly as ever. Then there’s the latest addition in our lab/pit mix pup, who has totally brought life back into this place! Anytime I get moody or blue, I can go pet a critter and all of the tension and aggravation from the day melts away.

I know that there is much more that I could list if I thought about it long enough and hard enough. The list of blessing that I need to be thankful for are endless. But I am most thankful for God, who sent His Son, to die for me, even knowing what kind of person I would be, He sent Him anyway. My simple human brain cannot grasp that kind of truly, unconditional love, but I am certainly thankful for it.

So, this year, take a minute or ten, and sit still long enough to think about or to write out the things that you are thankful for. Count those blessings and cherish each and every one for they are all precious and priceless.

Thank you all, those who are reading this for the first time, and those that have followed me since the first post. May God Bless you every one and may you all have a Very Merry Christmas!

Much Love,
Laura