Day 5 of what I am thankful for….

Today I am thankful for hard times. In my opinion, they don’t get the credit they deserve. You see it is the hard times that make us who we are. They mold us into strong, independent, and humble people. They remind us to never become to content. They are there to slap us back into reality and shake us to our core. No one enjoys hard times but they are a necessary part of life. Without them we would overlook all of the good things staring us in the face. Most often these good things are small, but no matter how small, they are the things that get us through the hard times. Every day we are just writing the story about our lives and any good story involves a comeback. We all root for the underdog without really knowing why. But I will tell you that we root for the underdogs because in the end we are all just underdogs being told we are not good enough. But in the end we come back, we persevere, and we are stronger and better because we did. And every time we do this, we make our story just a little bit better and even more worthy of a happy ending. :)

Day 4 of what I am thankful for....

I had already planned this in my mind. Today I was going to thank Noel for all of her beautiful words of encouragement. For a week now I have woken up to some beautiful message of strength and it has been those words that I have carried with me throughout the day. Somehow they have made me strong. However, instead I today have to thank my children again. I remind myself that I have every reason to cry right now but they are always there reminding me of all the reasons I have to smile. Today I took some post it notes off the wall. Notes that have been there for a while now. At the end of the day the kids must have noticed I had taken them down and decided to write me a new post it note. It says, "you are doing a good job. You are good at being brave." Today, and for the rest of my life that post it note will mean more to me than all the ones I took down. Abigail,Christopher, I love you both from the bottom of my heart. YOU are my strength and because of you my future will certainly be bright :)

Day 3 of what I am thankful for....

My best friend Lisa. Together we have a friendship that I will always cherish. Granted it is never perfect, but the one thing we have never asked of each other is perfection. Instead we are always there, cheering each other on, picking each other up, and always there through the tears and the laughter. As I face a new chapter in my life, I know that the one thing that won't change is you by my side, always there in the smallest and largest of ways. I am sometimes down but you are here to remind me that I am never out. And because of all of this, I will always be there to do the same for you. :)

Okay, Day 2 of what I am thankful for...

Amy, Amy, & Janelle. The three of you are giving me strength in ways you don't even realize. I miss you and love you and can feel all of your love and support even from so far away

Day 1 of what I am thankful for....

Day 1 of what I am thankful for.... my children, that kind of love cannot be faked. Being your mom has given me a purpose, a reason to wake up every morning and keep moving. I am thankful that after the week I have had that I am still standing. Without you, I could not have made it. :)

9/11 Dawn of Hope

It was barely dawn

When the world came crashing down.

No one uttered a single word

They barely made a sound.

The world just stood there frozen

In awe of what was lost.

Innocence crumbled at their feet

The line had just been crossed.

The tears may fall, as the ashes settle

But there is no need to cry.

From the ashes we are lifted

As Americans we rise.

When the smoke has settled

And the gloom has cleared.

We must hold hands and show

And remain united through the fear.

Hope is never lost

Even when all else is gone.

When in the face of fear

We band together and sing this song.

The tears may fall, as the ashes settle

But there is no need to cry.

From the ashes we are lifted

As American’s we rise.

Victory

What I'm going through isn't easy

and frustration has set in fast.

But there's no time to look back

and try to dwell on the past.

I hurt and sometimes felt defeated.

I've cried and I've even pleaded.

But I can't quit cause I'm a fighter.

I will find a way to make this load lighter.

We all have to lose before we can win.

Regain the strength to start over again.

We have to cry before we can smile.

We have to struggle, but it's all worthwhile.

We have to hurt in order to be strong.

We must keep up the fight when things go wrong.

If you can keep on trying and believing in yourself now and then

Then you will be guaranteed victory in the end.