Being Thankful & Mindful

The two really go hand in hand.
In order to discover all you are thankful for you need to be mindful of all things around you.
We could really get into the knitty  nitty-gritty of thanfulness and mindfulness and this post could go on for a year...

Maybe that will be a resolution come January first, I have a pie to bake and I'll be using up all my mindfulness in a couple hours trying to crack that out...

I digress.
Again, to be thankful we must be mindful to recognize all things that we are thankful for...
By the time I'm done here you'll be thankful that I showed some restraint...

I'm going to tell you a lot of things that I am thankful for.
Not in any particular order but what comes to mind first.

- I'm thankful for my husband, because he understands me, even when I get a little crazy. He listens to me and we make each other laugh... a lot.

- my dogs. All the dogs in my life I am thankful for but in particular my current two Mr. Brown and Gabby. I love them both in a way that I've never loved another dog and know that when I have to say goodbye to them it will rip a piece of my heart out to go on their next journey.

- My mom. (this alone is worthy of it's own post) I can honestly say that without her my life would not be what it is today. She raised all of us on her own, basically, and gave us the tools to take on the world. We butted heads a lot between me learning to talk and when I turned 26 but she has always been my favorite person, my hero, and my teacher. She has done things for myself and my brothers that has made our lives richer, and she has loved us all equally in a way that only a mother of three can do. I'm thankful for every day I get to talk to her, see her, hug her, and love her.

- G. My new stepfather, my mom's knew husband. I'm incredibly thankful for him because he makes my mom happy, she makes him happy and they share a love that I know she's never felt until now. He's gentle and kind and funny and smart (my english teacher is cringing all my 'ands' but I didn't care then and I don't now) He's G. I'm thankful that they share mutual friends who brought them together and they've both grown in new ways... he loves her, he makes her happy and at then end of the day that's all that matters.
- I'm thankful for technology. Seriously. I used 'facetime' the other night with my mom to call Bump on his birthday and we were able to see him, and Miss A., Bear, and Bird who were all over celebrating! I haven't seen them since last Christmas and it made my night. They've grown so much in the past year.
- I'm thankful for good memories with my dad. He's still alive but we have a strained relationship, but I have memories of when I was younger and would wake up early and he and I would spend the morning together, him drinking coffee, and me drinking hot chocolate.

- I'm thankful for my brothers and their wives. For one, I wouldn't have the wonderful neice and nephews that I saw the other night on the phone. My brothers are my brothers and none of us have ever seen eye to eye but I learned things from them and hope I taught them a few things over the years. Their wives are perfect for them and I'm so glad they found two women who I like to share their lives with...
- I'm happy I'm healthy but everyone says that, it seems a bit superfluous.
- I'm thankful for our friends. We travel together, we party together, we race together. They are wonderful people with wonderful families and I love them all with my whole heart...
- I'm thankful I love to cook, everyone else is thankful that I love to cook and also that I'm a good cook.
- I'm thankful for every day that I can walk this earth no matter the weather, no matter the good news, bad news, wars, economy. Being alive is so much more. Being alive is seeing the flowers growing out of the crack in the sidewalk and seeing it for the beauty it is instead of walking over it and grumbling about all the woes in your world.

This is a small list of things I am thankful for and if I could impose one lesson today, be thankful for the small things, find a moment of beauty in a hectic world. If you have to drive from place to place today enjoy the scenery and the company in the car.
Family time can be crazy time. We're all different, we have to embrace the differences and find joy in them instead of frustration. Laugh thru the bullshit.

Happy Thanksgiving.