There is Always, Always, Always Something to be Thankful For....

Many have approached me and asked how do I even get out of bed in the morning.

My Husband (pictured above) lost his fight with ALS in June of 2019 - 5 days before our 20th Wedding Anniversary.

This October my beautiful daughter pictured above took her own life.

My Son and his Wife are owners of a fledging Company and all of the COVID restrictions have put them really on the ropes.

However, in spite of these things (and others) I am thankful. Why? How?

I am thankful and grateful to have married the love of my life. We had such a close marriage and were truly each other’s best friend. When we went to a Resteraunt for dinner we actually had things to talk and laugh about instead of staring at a phone like many of the other couples around us.

Our motorcycle trips all over the US and Canada stay fresh in my mind. The scenery, the smells, the joy of riding on the back of our bike hugging my Husband close as we trekked thousands of miles - I can close my eyes and feel thankful we had those opportunities.

The many many times he expressed his love for me and thanked me for “saying yes” I can’t begin to count. I am thankful and grateful for every moment we had together. There is a smile on my face even now as I reflect on the years that we had.

His best friend used a quote at my Husband’s memorial talk. “Don’t Cry Because It’s Over, Smile Because it Happened”- (you gotta love Dr. Seuss).

Those words have stuck with me, and while I do have my crying days - I try to remember the things about him that made me smile and I am so thankful to have had that kind of love in my life.

My Daughter, my Beautiful Amazing Daughter, never felt her own self worth and attempted to numb herself in any number of ways.

I always joked that “I missed the cute years”- (I married their father when she was 17 and her brother was 15). While that may be true- she was a person with a heart bigger than Texas. Everyone who met her- loved her.

I have come across some of her cards and letters to me. While they are bittersweet- I am very thankful that she often expressed her love and appreciation for me being in her life. When she was not numbing out the pain of her parent’s divorce- she was a beautiful soul.

She brought flowers to where I was working more than once as a surprise for me. There are not enough words to express my thankfulness for having known her and loved her.

My Son and his Family are likewise precious to me. My spectacular Grandson you see in the top photo is all boy. Dirt Bikes, Video Games, and Slime are big topics of conversation. Recently they went to the Ocean for a Family weekend and he saw a necklace that he had to get for me.

I received a card in the mail shortly after they returned and inside was a necklace with a big turtle and a little turtle and below is what the card said....

Can you feel the thankfulness and love that I share with that precious boy? He is a true ray of sunshine in a sometimes pretty cloudy sky.

So yes- I have been through a lot, have good days and bad - but “There is Always, Always, Always Something (or Someone) to be thankful for”. After all, isn’t thankfulness and joy so much better then anxiety and despair.

So... in closing, “...Smile Because it Happened”.