Thankfulness...

So with Thanksgiving literally tomorrow, I figured I'd follow suit and write a little blurb about what I'm thankful for. While I say 'little,' there is really so much to be thankful for that I'm not even sure I can remember it all.

While I was driving to work this morning, I couldn't help but reflect on the beauty of this world. Just seeing the sunshine creating a beautiful halo through the thin cloud covering was inspiring. All the different intricacies in nature are just overwhelming and I'm so thankful to not only live in a world that is so colorful, vibrant and lively, but I'm also thankful that I can see, hear, smell and touch it all.

I'm thankful for the people I have in my life. For the wonderful, loving husband I get to see every day, for my Mother who inspires me more every time I see her, for my brothers and the amazing women they've found to cherish for the rest of their lives and for my adorable nephew who teaches me to celebrate the littlest things with pure joy. I'm thankful for two grandparents who have been such role models for me and the way I've lived my life, who display such adoration and love for one another while never failing to share their faith in every facet of their lives. I'm thankful for cousins and aunts and uncles who I have had the opportunity to develop relationships with, and for dear friends who have seen me through thick and thin and who I can rely on for a good belly-aching laugh.

Despite the petty differences and political mumbo-jumbo that we endured for the past few years leading up to this month's presidential election, I am thankful to live in a country where we do enjoy the freedom to vote for our own leader, where we are free to live our own way and where we can live harmoniously with so many different types of people from all kinds of backgrounds. I'm eternally grateful to the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for this country, from the very beginning of our country's history to today, granting us the freedom to practice the values we stand for.

I'm thankful for the little things that make life what it is - for appliances that make daily chores less tedious, for cars that can take us from point A to point B, for clothing, clean drinking water, medicine and education. For life's little surprises like cards in the mail, fresh flowers, a hug from a friend or a good joke.

Food is a pretty substantial part of my life, so it's hard not to be thankful for it. I love cooking, baking and playing around with ingredients, so I'm thankful to have so many different fruits, vegetables, meats, spices, etc to experiment with. I'm thankful my parents raised me to try anything once because had I not, I probably wouldn't have the educated palate that I do. I'm thankful for the indulgences in life like ice cream, chocolate, wine, cheesecake and candy.

And as hard as the past two years have been since my father passed away, I'm thankful for the good memories we have of him. I'm thankful for the parts of him that are reflected in me - not only in my physical appearance like my height, my long legs and my nose (there's no question I got the Knapper nose), but also in my sense of humor and my work ethic. I'm so thankful for the morals and values he and my mother together instilled in my brothers and I, and I'm thankful for the presence he continues to have in my life.

The life I have is so full of wonderful, amazing things. Every day, I am amazed by something new and every day, I learn something I didn't know yesterday...and for that I am thankful.