I'm Thankful...

I am thankful for so many things, but right now I would like to highlight the things that I am thankful for that are outside “the normal:”

-I am thankful that my kids are so close to my parents.

-I am thankful that my parents live next door some of the time.

-I am thankful that during the day, Joshie can go over and play at Grandma’s house.

-I’m thankful that the kids can freely and easily go back and forth between my parents’ house and ours.

-I’m thankful that my kids can spend the night at Grandma and Pappaw’s almost whenever they want.

-I’m thankful that my mom took Joshie and Ryan to see the zoo lights last night…I can tell they had a wonderful time.

-I’m thankful that at this time of year, a family dinner on a special day is not a super special occasion because we have them all the time!

-I’m very, very thankful for my family.

It’s interesting how your relationship with your parents changes over your lifetime. There were times that I really, really hated my parents. There were years that I counted down the days until I was 18 and could leave the house. And then over the second half of my life things got better. I think they realized that my strong personality was there to stay, and at the same time, I matured and learned how to communicate better. I think ultimately it came down to the fact that I was now an adult and I could no longer be told what to do, so compromises were made and there was mutual respect.

It’s also interesting when you think about the annoyances of parents (or in-laws) – it’s so easy to get upset and annoyed with them over things…especially now that you are both adults and have to learn to compromise, as opposed to one person having the authority to make you back down. BUT!!!! These are the people that made you who you are…or who made your spouse the way they are. Somehow, those quirks and characteristics helped mold you/your spouse into the very person they are today…whether it was good teaching, or you acting in the opposite direction because of how much you disagreed with them. Either way, if you at all like who you are, or you love who your spouse is…so much of that came from the parents.

And for that, I’m very thankful!