Sunday Funday: Giving Thanks

Welcome back to Sunday Funday! This edition of the Funday is about what I am most thankful for as we are starting November. This post will be an emotional one for me, so please, if I sound like I’m rambling/blubbering in this post, it’s because I am probably ugly crying. 

The first thing that I am most thankful for is my mother. She is no longer with us, having passed away completely unexpectedly in 2014, but I am thankful every day for the 32 years I was blessed to be her daughter. During those 32 years, she taught me about unconditional love, what it’s like to love Jesus and that books can be the most wonderful escape from the stress of the world. She taught me that a mother’s love is the best thing in the world, and that a mother can be more than a mother, she can be a best friend. She taught me that sometimes life is full of heartache, but with a little prayer and a lot of love it can be overcome. I’m thankful that God chose me to be her daughter and loved me enough to give me 32 of the best years of my life as her daughter. 

I’m also thankful for the 29 years that I got to spend summers with the coolest grandpa in the world! He gave me my love of fishing, he showed me that I can achieve anything if I set my mind to it. He was a hard worker, a kind soul who loved Jesus and he was one of the reasons I had the best mom in the world! He passed away in 2010, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s and left a void in my heart. However, he, along with my mama, are my gaurdian angels and I know that if I just squeeze my eyes shut, I can see him standing before me, smiling and taking my lines out of the trees that I used to catch instead of fish. 

I am a little more blubbery with this one right now but, I’m also very thankful for the 36 wonderful years I got to have the most precious, most selfless, most kindest woman in the world as a grandmother. She joined my other two gaurdian angels this passed Thursday and it was a little unexpected as well. I am thankful that I got to see her in September for our family vacation, where she looked wonderful and happy. That’s what I will treasure. She taught me that next to a mama’s love, a grandmother’s love will be unconditional, will be fun, and will be the thing you miss the most when she’s gone. She taught me that it doesn’t matter how many times I screw up, she will love me through it. She taught me how to bake homemade bread, homemade buns, homemade cookies, and so much more. She taught me that the love of family is all you need in life, not money, not material things, just love and happiness. God blessed me with her and I am thankful for my time with her! 

I’m also thankful for my dad, sons, and husband. They are my rocks and my knights in shining armor on my darkest days. They test me, they drive me nuts, but they love me and I am thankful that God blessed me with them. They are the trying times, they are the happy times, they are the times that I don’t ever want to forget. They have taught me that anything I want or need is small in comparison to what I want to give to them. I want to give them all the world and I am so grateful to be their daughter, mom and wife. I’m also thankful for the four furbabies in our life. They keep me laughing each day. 

The final thing I will add to this post that I will say I’m thankful for (while my list could go on and on, I will stop with this one for today!) is BOOKS. Yes, I am thankful for books. The books take me away, they show me a world from a new perspective and they give me a little piece of my sanity back when I’ve been driven crazy by too much testosterone in the house! With the books, I get a vacation and never have to leave home. 

Tell me, what are YOU most thankful for as you begin the holiday season???