Thankfulness

Well its the night before Thanksgiving, and I am working... but luckily it has been a not too busy day. Which I greatly appreciate, because I have been able to get caught up on a lot of paperwork and all. I thought this might be a good oppportunity to think and reflect on all of the things that I have to be thankful for. There are so many.... but here are a few that come to mind.

FAMILY
I am so glad to have a family as wonderful as mine. I am incredibly greatful to have people that I can call whenever I need someone, who are always there for me, and who are able to share in the excitement of my pregnancy. My sister has been a wonderful source of information, and seeing her yesterday reminded me how exciting it is going to be to be a mother. I am so thankful that we all have our health and our happiness, and I am incredibly proud to be able to say that my family is amazing. I love how close I am with my parents, and I am so thankful that I have such an open, honest relationship with them. I am also so glad for Shawn's family, who has welcomed myself and my family into theirs, and who are so excited in anticipation of the new baby. It is wonderful to have them so close that we can see his parents and brother Ben often, and his other brother and family arent too far away in Orlando.

SHAWN
There are no words to express how thankful I am to have found a man as wonderful as him to be both my future husband and the father of my baby. No matter what I need, he is there to provide it, and yet he challenges me in a way that no one in the past ever has. He has taught me what it is to trust again, and what it is to be able to just "be" with someone and be truly happy. I can honestly say that I have never met someone who I have loved as much as I love him... and it is the best feeling to know that he loves me back without complication. We have been through so much together, and no matter what we know that we have each other. He is a constant source of inspiration for me, and I am so proud to have him as a part of my life. I know he will be an amazing husband and an even better father, and I am so thankful that he was brought into my life at a time where we were both ready to try out a relationship again.

FRIENDS
This year has been a difficult one for many of my friends, and we have all been though some trying times. It is with true sincerity that I say that I have the utmost admiration for my friends.... as they have shown me strength that I have never thought possible. My friends have also taught me that family does not necessarily have to be related by blood.... and I do consider many of my friends to be my brothers and my sisters. I have seen an incredible amount of selflessness from my friends and this has inspired me in many ways to do all that I can for those around me. It has also taught me to be nonjudgemental... and sometimes that the first impressions of people may be way off from their true character.

I know there is much much more to be thankful for that I am sure will occur to me later.... but for now these are the things I am thinking of. I am also thankful that so far I have had a relatively uneventful pregnancy... and now that I feel the baby move it reminds me of the exciting journey that Shawn and I have ahead of us. The baby is so active... whenever I sit down for a few minutes there she is, kicking me and swimming around. It is the strangest feeling... the other morning I just laid in bed and giggled every time she kicked... and I cant wait for her kicks to be strong enough for Shawn to be able to feel them. Every time I feel her is like a remider of this little person that is growing inside of me that will one day very soon be our daughter Madalyn. I am so thankful for this wonderful gift of motherhood that has been given to me....