gratitude

A new friend wrote a darling list about 5 things she's grateful for. I found the list very touching and thought that I would like to immitate her and write my 5 things I'm grateful for.

1) I am grateful that my baby brother his home from his mission in Brazil. I'm glad he went. I'm glad he was safe. I'm glad he's home. I felt such pride in him, watching him grow up and move on and doing something he was so excited and prepared to do. I'm grateful to him and his service.

2) I'm grateful for autumn. Wendesday was our first really 'chilly' day here in Oregon. While I walked with my friend Melissa in the morning we had our breath puffing out in the air and it was invigorating, energizing. I love wearing sweaters and hats and gloves and those are all fall clothes. I loved starting the very first fire of the season in our fireplace and having it snap and crackle while Sarah and I worked on her schooling.

3) I'm grateful for support. I have a tremendously supportive husband who always encourages me to reach for my dreams and stretch myself. He's been so supportive this past year as I've started my new business with Heritage Makers and he's been supportive of me when my back has made life so tough. I'm grateful for my friend Melissa who got me walking every morning to deal with my painful back. With her friendship and encouragement I am now pain free and loosing weight and feeling great! I'm grateful to my Sister Christy who is my best cheerleader. She believes in me more than I believe in me and that means so much! I'm grateful to my cousin Tara, who challenges me every day to stay on track and loose this weight that weighs me down. I'm grateful to my new friend Yolanda who is stepping up to be a partner to me to help me jump start my business. It's amazing to me how if you just ask for help so many people are willing to be there for you.

4) I'm grateful for this new charter school that I've started Sarah on. Deciding to home school her was a hard decision and it's been a challenging 5 years. I know it was the right decision but finding this online academy and getting her going has taken so much weight off my shoulders. I get so much more done during the day than I have in years and I'm not nearly as stressed. Plus, it's opened up time for me to now focus on my buisness.

5) I'm grateful for my marriage to John. This November we will have been married for 16 years. It's not a fairy tale and it's not always romantic but ours is a marriage of friends and we have such a good life together. The day John walked into my life, every thing changed. I know that God wanted us together, that it was a purposeful matchup. In John I have my best friend. I have someone who always tells me to try to do whatever I want. Who listens to my crazy ideas and thinks that all of my creative mess is cute. I love him.