Thoughts this Thanksgiving

The sentiments of Thanksgiving can be overwhelming, but when you truly do have so much to be thankful for, it is hard not to pause and dwell on them.  Here’s just a handful of things I can’t help but be thankful for:

First of, I’m beyond thankful for Sean. There was a time in my life when I didn’t believe that I deserved love–that I didn’t deserve to be loved. In fact, I had given up completely on love all together and was preparing to live a lone literary life on the East Coast like all the great women writers. But then, I saw this guy walk into a room, and I knew someday I love him.  Sean  has changed my life and my expectations of life. I didn’t know life could be this great– but he taught me to believe again.

Of course, I am thankful for my big ol’ family (that is continuing to grow as we speak!). I’m glad my mom dreamed of a large family, and I am thankful she followed her dream! It takes a lot of courage to raise children and I think about my childhood everyday. My sisters & my brothers are a might force in my life. Without them I wouldn’t know how to share or play with others. My family has taught me the difference between things that matter and things that don’t– a lot of people never learn that secret. Thankfully, we lived it from a young age.

My community in Grand Rapids is powerful. I am thankful to be able to shop local for just about anything I need. I am thankful I don’t have to go into the scary mall to buy clothes. I am thankful I can fill a growler instead of buying cans from the store. I am thankful to smell food from restaurants when I go for a jog. I am thankful that my friends live walking distance from our apartment. I am thankful for the farmers market. I thankful for the people who bring their goods to the market so I can gobble them up. I am thankful for the kindness of the street and for the plentiful signs that read “we love you, pass it on.”

I am thankful for all of the places I have seen over the course of my twenties! And I’m bursting with ideas and secrets of places I know I will soon have the opportunities to see! My wandering ways dictate my course of life; I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I am thankful for the family I work with every weekday. They have let me into the most sacred part of their lives and accept me as a part of their extended family. I never feel like I am just “the nanny” because I am always treated with love and respect. I love going to my job everyday, which many people in America cannot always say. I love all the reading and painting and snuggling we do! I am blessed to have the parents I work for in my life; who teach me so much about patience, balance and enduring love. My bad days in life are very few and I know this is directly correlated with my job.

Happy HAPPY Thanksgiving to you and yours and everyone in between! Let the holiday season begin!