Thanksgiving

Dear Elli,

Today it is Thanksgiving.  This is your fifth Thanksgiving, which is hard for me to believe.  You've been here for five Thanksgivings with us?!!!  Time sure does fly.

I don't always stop what I'm doing to feel the gratitude I should for all that I have.  I suspect I'm not alone.  But it's important to stop sometimes and look at all you've accomplished, regardless of how much you still want to do. 

I'm thankful for you, first and foremost.  I'm thankful that you exist and that I'm lucky enough to be your mom.  I'm thankful for the good days and the challenging ones.  And maybe most of all, I'm thankful that you make me a better person.  Someone who tries every day to be better.  Because you're always watching.

I'm thankful for your daddy.  Because he is a good man.  And a great dad.  And I'm quite sure I couldn't do half of what I do without him.

I'm thankful for our family, because they make life fun.  And sometimes really interesting.  And we always support each other the best we can.  And that's not always a given in this world.  So for that, we're really lucky.

I'm thankful for my friends.  Both my close friends and my acquaintances.  They make me laugh.  And keep my life dynamic and interesting.

I'm thankful for my career.  It keeps me motivated and challenged every day with endless goals and dreams.  It provides me a platform to be both competitive and ambitious, which is a big part of who I am. 

Finally, I'm thankful for the life we have.  For the worries and problems that we don't have.  And for the good sense to know just how lucky I am, even if I don't take the time to acknowledge it often enough.

I love you.

Mom