Giving Thanks

I am sorry I haven't written anything in a few days. I have been busy and haven't gotten around to working on my blog. It is my plan to work harder on trying to continue doing this everyday. So with that said here is my new blog.

With Thanksgiving coming up so quick next week I thought it would be nice to write a blog about giving thanks for everthing we have in our lives.

Let me first start out with a list of the things I am thankful for. There are so many things I am thankful for so I will start from the beginning. I am most thankful for having a wonderful Mother who did her best at protecting her children, showing us the love of God, raising us to see the beauty in life and the beauty in the differences of people and things. She showed us how to be creative and use our imaginations. She taught us the importance of being children and having fun. I learned how to cook without using a recipe from her and I learned how to love from her. She taught me children need space to grow and to not be judgemental or controlling of their actions, but to guide them gently with suggestions and reason. There never was a time I can remember growing up that she ever told me I couldn't do something or to not do something. Instead she would suggest I try this instead or she would explain why another path might be better then the one I was going down. She taught me how to think through my problems, but to also follow my heart. I know there were many times she didn't agree with my choices, but she never was cross with me when I was young. Instead she was supportive and tried to give me a chance. That isn't to say that we never had our problems or that she was perfect. I am just saying she was the best mother she could be and I learned so much from her.

The next thing I am thankful for may come as a surprise for some, but I am thankful for my Father. Yes, my Father and I had a lot of problems and he definintly wasn't a perfect Father. Yet I am thankful for the things I did learn from him and the fact that he didn't pass on some of his issues to his children. My Father taught me to love nature. He taught me about birds and about animals. I learned about wild plants from him and he taught me about the Wild West. My love for camping came from him and my love for reading about the characters of the West came from him. He was the one who encourged me to try to doing some beading and he encouraged me to learn about other cultures. There were times when he would help me with my homework and he helped me find information that would have been hard for me to find. This was especially true if my assignment was about WWII or about Native Americans. He also taught me about tools and how to build things. I may not be as good at it as some of my siblings, but I definiantly can fumble my way through reparing things or making things if I set my mind to it. I am also thankful that my Father chose not to pass on some of his own beliefs that he realized were bad. That could have been due to him being married to my Mother or maybe some how he realized it on his own. Either way the point is he realized that some of his own hangups weren't what he wanted to pass on to his kids. I won't go into those problems right now out of respect for my Father. Lets just say it taught me that even when a parent has a problem of their own if they realize the destructiveness of it they can hide it from their children well enough not to pass it on. That to me was a great accomplishment for my Father. He raised five children and he successfully raised us without some of his own issues. If he can do that I know any parent could. I am very thankful for that lesson.

One of the other things I am thankful for is my Grandparents. I didn't get to know my Father's parents very well due to my Grandma Bayless died when I was about 6 or 7 and his Father was senial by that time. What I did learn though from them before all that is. That snapdragons can talk and are very beautiful flowers. Rhubarb pie is wonderful when it is made right. That when playing cards with kids it is fun to let them make up their own rules sometimes and even let them change them in the middle of the game. To never let a child miss watching such movies as Mary Poppins or Sound of Music. That magnets on the fridge are alright to let kids play with and you should even encourage it. What else are they for? That Christmas should always be a special day and should have a special magical feel to it.

The lessons I learned from my Mom's parents were a little more since I had them around for a lot longer time. My Grandma Jones taught me so much. She taught me to love all animals big or small. To never give up hope on anything whether it be a plant that looks dead or a person who needs help. Either way if given enough love you can help them to grow. She taught me that God was ever loving and caring. She taught me that no matter what if I lean on God he will help me through the hardest times and would protect me. I learned that walking even the same path every day can be an adventure since you can always find something new each day. She taught me that the world is a beautiful place and that all we have to do is open our hearts and minds to see it. Many times she tried teaching me that if I didn't have anything nice to say then to say nothing at all. She taught me the beauty in music and song. That every child should be held at night, sang to, read a story, and tucked into bed with a hug, smile, and kiss. My Grandpa Jones taught me a lot as well. Such as the beauty of family current and past. The simple pleasure of sitting quietly with someone you love and just enjoying knowing they are there. That when a child asks a silly question about the clouds moving and shaping into different shapes whether that was due to God preparing our home that you just answer maybe with a smile and a twinkle of the eye. That people can do many things in this life and still have a love of learning and seeing new things. That postage stamps are really cool to collect. They both also taught me that there is such a thing as real love. That no one should ever settle for anything less then the person they really love, because real love is more beautiful and more powerful then anything else in the world.

I am also thankful for all my friends each one of them. They have been there for me when I needed someone the most. They have taught me to believe in myself and that I am stronger then I ever thought was possible. When I needed some where to hide from the world they gave me a sanctuary to recover and find myself again. They have defended me from others and taught me to stand up for myself. They also taught me that sometimes it is best to walk away. My friends remind me of who I am when life gets to me and I almost forget what makes me special. They remind me to forgive those who have hurt me and they remind me to learn from my mistakes. My friends remind me to judge a person by who they are not by who they were or might be. They remind me of who I was, who I am, and who I want to be. Then they give me the strength to carry on so I can be that person. When I get sad and lonely they pick me up and remind me that I am not alone. They remind me that I am special and that some day I will find the person who will see and appreciate that. My friends don't judge me or persecute me. They don't try to change me or shape me to be what they think I should be. Instead they love me for who I am. This is what being truly blessed to me. Is having people who love you no matter what you have done or who you are.

I am also thankful for my wonderful siblings. My oldest sister Debbie may not be perfect, but I love her any way. We may not always get along, but there have been some good times together. She taught me that sometimes loving someone isn't enough. Sometimes you love someone, but due to circumstances that they chose you have to walk away. That doesn't mean you ever stop loving them. It just means you realize staying with them isn't healthy for you. I am thankful I was only given one brother, but what a brother he is. He has helped me when I needed help. I will say I couldn't have asked for a better brother if I tried. Now the last two sisters of mine are the two who taught me the most growing up. The reason being is they were the ones who were always around. Ginger taught me about fashion and what looks good. She also taught me that a person can be strong and beautiful at the same time. Ginger was also the one that taught me about drawing and art of all kinds. She has a natural talent for learning how to do all kinds of crafts. Granted I think she let some of it slip by not focusing on it as much as time went by, but I think if she finds herself again she will find it as well. Sandy taught me about writing. She taught me that poetry doesn't have to rhyme or follow a certain pattern all poetry needs to do is have rhythm to it. Sandy also taught me that it is alright to be free to think outside the box. She was elegant and kind of a free spirit. There were many times she reminded me of a Pixie or an eccentric writer from the Victorian days. It also was Sandy who taught me to love literature and taught me about old myths. Yes, I learned so much from both of them. They taught me how to follow directions in a recipe and how to make scrambled eggs. They also taught me how sisters should be. That they should always stand up and protect each other and that no one but them could pick on the others. I am blessed to have had so many teachers growing up. How would I have ended up without them?

Along with all that I am thankful for my current job and the path that brought me to it. My beautiful home even though I am still renting. The lessons I have learned in life and that my life wasn't as bad as it could have been. I may have been through a lot of bad things, but I know it could have been worse. I am thankful for the teachers I was given in school while I was growing up. If it hadn't been for some of them I don't think I would have made it through. I am also thankful that I was born in the United States of America. I wouldn't want to have been born in any other country.

It is these blessings that give me strength when I need it. When I find myself thinking about the worst things in life I start trying to remind myself what I have to be thankful for. What are you thankful for? Please leave a comment of what you  are thankful for below if you would like to share. Also if you liked this post please repost. If you have Facebook then just press the F that is the Facebook icon and if you want to send it in an e-mail you can chose the envelope. You can also become a fan by chosing fan at the upper right hand corner. I hope you enjoyed this post.