This I am thankful for...

Last year I joined an online scrapbook class that created a keepsake journal for the 2005 Christmas season. This is one of the pages that I created. Maybe this season I'll go through some of the prompts and see how things have or have not changed for me.

For today I want to talk about the things that I am grateful for THIS holiday season.

1. This has been somewhat of a difficult year for my family. My grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, and they told us she had a week to live. That was about two months ago, and I am happy to say that they were wrong. She isn't dying, and lets hope she has many more wonderful years ahead of her. I am thankful to have another year with her.

2. My father was involved in a motorcycle accident a couple of weeks ago. He wasn't wearing a helmet, and we are fortunate that his injuries were not life threatening. Although he did get pretty banged up and has a broken pelvis. Of course this doesn't stop him from being a handful. I am thankful that I have been given the chance to realize that my father will always be the way he is, and he will never change is ways, at least not until he is ready. Until then I have accepted that I need to stop being so stubborn and have that relationship with my father, before it is too late and I regret not having said the things that I want to with him. Love your family, no matter how different their views are from yours, don't live with regrets. This I am thankful for.

3. I have healthy children. They are compassionate and care about others. Let me brag here....they get this from me, and this I am thankful for. Of course you couldn't tell this by they way they fight with each other, but deep down I know how much they love each other also. My kids will not being spending Christmas with me this year, they will be with their father and his side of the family. They have a big family and I am happy that they get the opportunity to share holiday traditions from his family as well. They enjoy many of the Italian traditions that are a part of both our ancestry.

4. I swear I have the best mom in the world. She taught me the importance of family. I am thankful that I will soon have the opportunity to spend the holidays down there with her in Florida.

5. The time off from work to bake some yummy cookies to pass out to friends and family this year. This isn't usually something that I do, but something that I do enjoy.