My Papa, me, Grandma, and Eric
Uncle Tony
My dad, Aunt Jean, and my mom.
Me and Aunt Anna
Me and Aunt Annette
My Papa, my dad, cousin Wendy, cousin Steven, Aunt Annette, Eric, and Grandma
2. Friends that love me: Kate, Stevi, Joe, Jubin, Jenna, Ripley, Paige, Kathleen, Michelle, Giuseppe, Natalie, Alex, other friends from Admissions, Mandie, Danielle, Melissa, I could go on but these people stand out in my mind as people who always have my back and who make their friendship known.
Jubin and me.
Some of my old co-workers.
Giuseppe after he let us tease his hair.
Me, Ripley, Stevi, and Kate at Stevi's bridal shower.
3. The best next door neighbors anyone could ask for: Ellen, Jimmy, JT, and Mikey who have been kind enough to share their home and their hearts with us for the past 3 Thanksgivings and making us feel like we have somewhere we belong. They have given us so much love and support and it is nice to have people so close by who care about us. We have been neighbors since I was 4 years old and I can't remember my life without them. I know if I ever need anything Ellen will always be there for me. I trust her opinion as much as I trusted my mom's, so that says a lot.
Ellen and me at my graduation party.
4. The fact that I live in the USA! So many people critize this country, but we have so much more than most of the world.
5. My dream job with my wonderful 18 students, a supportive principal who is a leader not an intimidator, and good co-workers. I am thankful for all the children in the world who bring smiles to our faces.
My empty classroom. Sorry I can't put up pictures of my darlings.
6. My house where we live in comfort with electricity, food, warmth, etc.
7. My cat Ashley who is doing so well with her kidney treatments. It's rough bringing her to the vet once to twice a week, but her results have been coming back well and we are so thankful for that. Ashley brings so much joy to our lives.
A new picture of us.
8. My memories of my mom and how my family used to be. Although we can't turn back the clock, I had 19 years of a stable family life. The holidays sure can hurt, but I am really trying to enjoy the holidays, even if I don't always feel completely happy this time of year. It hurts to think about how the holidays used to be, compared to how they are now, but at least I did have a time in my life when holidays were great. Some people never had a nice family to make memories with. So while my 19 years with my family complete were short, it is better than none at all.
My parents one Christmas.
9. My education that helped me reach my goals. I was blessed with a scholarship for school, I have no loans at all, and I am working on my master's degree.
Me, Kate, and Stevi at Graduation
10. My faith which puts my life into perspective. I am so grateful to have God in my life, which gives me hope and support in my daily life. I am so happy that God opened my eyes to my Christian beliefs, because so many people search for answers in this world, and I feel like I have some clarity in regards to life on earth and the afterlife. While I don't claim to know how it all works, I do believe from the depths of my soul that there is a purpose to it all.
I could go on and on, but I just wanted to write something to recall all that I have been given.
Thank you Lord for allowing me to count my blessings this Thanksgiving.
3 comments:
this was beautiful to read. We all need to take time to be reminded of our blessings. You look stunning in that teal dress, by the way. Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving!
Great blog, Jamie! I am thankful to have so many things in life as well and you are one of them. I hope that you enjoyed the holiday!
I am so grateful for a good friend like you in my life. It means so much to me that you think of me in that way. You are the best Jamie! xo
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