Here’s the final part of my list…a day late, but it’s
been a crazy week.
22)
I’m thankful that Justin and I made it down to
Florida safely. This past Tuesday Justin and I said good-bye to Walter Reed for
good (Corey has been in Florida for a few weeks already). It was hectic getting
to that point with plenty of hoops to jump through, but we made it. Reality
hasn’t quite set in that we’re home for good rather than just on vacation, but
it will in time.
23)
I’m thankful for the time Justin was able to
serve in the military. Knowing what he knows now, he wouldn’t have changed
anything. He still would have joined the Army, still would have volunteered for
his third deployment. I’m so proud of Justin and the job he’s done for the past
nearly 9 years. It’s hard to believe that that chapter of his life – and our
family’s life – is over.
24)
I’m thankful the gift of music. Music touches
your heart in ways that spoken word can’t. There is a song to fit just about
every situation or mood. I’m thankful that God has given me the ability to make
music on my saxophone.
25)
I’m thankful for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has
always been one of my favorite holidays. It brings to mind time with family,
great food, and an overall feeling of blessing and contentment. It’s one of the
few holidays that doesn’t have a materialistic focus (which is probably why it
is often skipped over and people go straight from Halloween to Christmas). It’s
an uplifting holiday because people focus on blessings.
26)
I’m thankful for “Black Friday” shopping. I know
it sounds funny to go from being thankful for a contentment type holiday to
being thankful for shopping, but it’s true. For me, Black Friday isn’t about
greed, it’s about finding the best deals so that I can stretch my dollars
further in giving to the people I love. If I can get gifts for a cheaper price,
I can afford to give them more. One of my favorite things about Christmas is
seeing the look of surprise and happiness on someone’s face as they’re opening
a gift that I gave them.
27)
I’m thankful for the little things in life that
I used to take for granted that I now appreciate a lot more. Like getting
groceries for example. At Walter Reed, it was quite an ordeal. I fought traffic
to and from the store, got back to the complex, went through the gate security,
called Justin to come downstairs, temporarily parked outside our building,
unloaded the groceries onto a cart, parked the truck down the hill and across
the street while Justin brought the cart to our 5th floor apartment, walked
back across the street and up the hill to our building, took the elevator up to
the 5th floor, unloaded the cart and put away the cold stuff, brought the cart
back downstairs, went back up to our apartment, put away the rest of the
groceries, and then collapsed from the whole ordeal and was too tired to cook
any of the food that I had just purchased. And if I forgot something, it just
would have to wait until the next week when I went to the store again. Now, I
just pull into my driveway and unload the truck, put away the groceries and
that’s the end of the story. If I forget something, there’s a grocery store less
than 2 miles away. In Bethesda, a place less than 2 miles away could take 20
minutes but here, it takes 5. Life in a smaller city is so much simpler for me,
and I’m thankful to be back in my comfort zone.
28)
I’m thankful that my son had a great birthday.
Even with living in Germany, Georgia, and Maryland for all of Corey’s previous
birthdays, we’ve always managed to work it out to spend Thanksgiving and Corey’s
birthday in Florida with family. This year was extra special because we got to
do more to celebrate. Justin and I gave Corey a swing set (which I’m thankful
that my dad and brother-in-law assembled) and Justin’s side of the family
chipped in and bought him a power wheel camo Jeep. He got some other nice
presents, but those two are big ones that he couldn’t have before because we
moved so much. Justin’s Granny and I took Corey to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch on
his birthday and he had a great time. Then that evening, we went to my parents
and they invited some friends over who have kids that Corey loves playing with.
He played hard and slept great that night. Then the day after his actual
birthday, we had our traditional family party to celebrate both Corey and my
niece’s birthdays. (She’s 9 days older than Corey. We normally celebrate my
nephew’s birthday as well, but he was sick.) It was a busy, fun-filled couple
days, and it made my heart happy to see him having such a great time.
29)
I’m thankful for digital photography. I love
taking pictures to capture memories. I’m not so young that I have only ever
known digital pictures. I remember having to save up money to buy film for my
camera. I had to be careful not to take too many pictures on the first day of a
trip or I wouldn’t have enough film left on the last day. Then I had to get
them developed. It was always a toss-up between paying more for the 1 hour or
having to wait a few days to see if my pictures turned out. Now I can take as
many pictures as I want, delete the ones that are blurry, and share pictures
with friends and family with a few clicks of my mouse. And when you’re taking
pictures of young kids, having that instant feedback on the screen is so
helpful so you can make sure you got at least one good shot where everyone was
looking and smiling.
30)
I’m thankful for my life. It hasn’t always been
perfect and doesn’t always go according to my plans and desires, but I am
blessed. I’ve learned many lessons through the difficult times. Even when times
were tough, it wasn’t all bad. The past 18 months were rough, but I have so
many good memories too. I hope that the memories of the difficult parts fade
and all that’s left to remember is the laughter and the fun, the good people
and the great times. I’m excited to see what new things will be on my thankful
list in 2015.
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