30 Things I am thankful for

With Thanksgiving tomorrow and as much as I have personally been struggling, I thought it would be nice to remind myself what I am grateful for. And honestly there is so much to be grateful for, not only these holiday weeks, but always. We get stuck thinking about all the negativity or hard times that sometimes we forget to stop, slow down and remind ourselves of all the positivity in our lives. That there are a lot of people out there that don’t get to enjoy the little things in life. That don’t have the same opportunities as we do.

So here we go…

30 things I am thankful for:

1. My husband. There is so much more that I can add to this but at the end of the day I know deep down that he will ALWAYS have my best interest at heart. That if I am having a bad day he will do everything in his power to turn that around and put a smile on my face. He loves me hard and I love him just as hard. Marriage is not always easy but we put in the work. Plus; he’s pretty nice to look at too.
2. My hands. I get to hold my husbands hand, pick up my children and reach out to those that need a helping hand.
3. My Daughter. She says the most outrageous hilarious things, has an imagination that could change this world and the love that she exudes for her family is powerful. Having her as a daughter is exactly what I thought it would be like, challenging, but every moment is not to be taken for granted.
4. My Stepsons. They have taught me more about life and patience than I ever thought a child could teach me. I have learned to love in different ways because of them. They are amazing brothers to Eliana and that just tickles my heart.
5. My eyes. Even though the monotony of having to drive kids around to their activities every day and picking them up from school. I am grateful that I get to see them succeed in the activities that they love, learn lessons from winning and losing and I get to see their true happiness and smiles every day.
6. My job. I have worked in places that really suck. Not only that but the people weren’t that great either. I have made lifelong friendships at my job, people who have taught me things, seen the drive in me and helped me grow my career selflessly. Even though we are all going through changes with our careers right now the growth and amount of learning I have had because of my coworkers, employees and company is profound. There are some people struggling without a job.
7. My mother in Law. Who at the end of the day wants what’s best for everyone. For treating me and Eliana like her own. For teaching me that blood doesn’t matter and all that matters is the love we have in our hearts for each other.
8. My husbands family. All of them. Every single one. They are my family. The bond that we all share is amazing. Aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, cousins, brothers. At the end of the day we each give each other something that we need in that moment whether is a lesson, a laugh, a story or a hug and its powerful.
9. My home. Even though we are getting ready to sell our house, we have built our family in our home. We have the means to have a home, sell and make money off our home and buy another one. My parents didn’t buy their first house until they were in their 40’s. The fact that Dan & I were able to do that in our 20’s is something I feel very proud of.
10. My Safety: I can walk out of my house, drive down the street or leave work late at night and feel safe.
11. Sunsets. And Arizona has the best sunsets. I love coming home during sunset and just watching it change colors before I go inside the house.
12. Family. Everyone, near and far, family that I know loves me and is always there for me. That for our faults the love we have for eachother is stronger than anything.
13. My Orie. Who has saved my ass more than just a few times in life. Who is one of the strongest, most organized, best mom and woman I have ever had the privilege to know. My best friend forever and always who will forever be there for me no matter what without any judgements.
14. My Legs. My strong Norwegian legs. I am able to walk into work every morning, squat heavy things and play with my children. Sometimes I don’t want to walk or am feeling too tired to work out but some people don’t get these opportunities.
15. Growing Older. I get to experience the adults of tomorrow, the youth of today and learn lessons from those around me that have been there. I sometimes get scared of growing older but some people don’t get this privilege to age.
16. My honesty. I have been taught to be open and honest. Not hide things from anyone and be truthful. I teach this to my children as a very important part of life and am grateful that my parents did the same with me.
17. My energy. Even though there will be days when I don’t want to get out of bed because it seems like to much work, I have the energy to be able to go to the gym if I want to, make my own breakfast and go to work every day. There are some people that can not even get out of bed.
18. My dad. For teaching me to love and have an open heart to everyone, including those that we think may not deserve it. He taught me what true love looks like without expecting anything in return. For working hard every single day and teaching me drive and passion.
19. My mom. For letting me drink all her delicious drinks growing up even when they took her FOREVER to make. Sorry mom. For loving me for who I am and teaching me the importance of family bonds.
20. My sister. The bond between the two of us no one will ever understand. No matter what I always have the best intentions for her life and I know she does mine. And for giving me a niece and nephew who are the most hilarious two kids ever and are so close with Eliana.
21. My friends. Even if we have gone weeks, months or years without talking we will always pick up where we left off. No matter what if we need each other we know that we can pick up the phone for an ear for listening, a hand for holding or someone to just go get a drink with when we need it most.
22. My tongue. The fact that I can speak two languages has opened up more opportunities for me than I ever thought imaginable. My mom always told me it would. And thank you to my dad for teaching me Portuguese and my mom for always encouraging it even if she couldn’t understand everything we said to each other.
23. Technology. Even though sometimes it can be the root of evil, I am grateful that I can pick up my phone and talk to my family in Brazil. That I can see their faces through a video call when I am missing them most.
24. Dishwashers. I never used one until I moved in with my husband. My dad always made us hand wash everything and used the dishwasher to store grocery bags. Get out of here, dishwashers are amazing.
25. My dogs. Even though they stink sometimes they bring such joy to my life, to our families life and that is irreplaceable.
26. Good hair days. I mean who doesn’t love a good hair day.
27. Family vacations. I have a family that I get to enjoy another country or state with. To have experiences with and the ability to create this with my family.
28. My ears. I get to listen to music, the giggles of my children, and the love that is shared between all of us.
29. Cooking. I love cooking for my family. I love that I know how to cook. (thanks dad) and even though it can seem like a chore it really does calm me.
30. Family Traditions. Every single year my mother in law reads the same poem before we eat for thanksgiving. She reads it, she cries (I usually do too) and everyone else usually giggles a bit because they all know it’s coming. But that is what is so great. We have traditions, as silly as they may seem. Some families don’t get that opportunity, some children are in foster homes and each year is something new with out the opportunity to create traditions.

…I am grateful for this life. For everyone around me and for all of you taking the time to take a little peak into my life. I hope that everyone remembers the things they are grateful for everyday and not just this week.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

Originally published at Two Plus 3.