Thanks!

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who don't say thank you. I hate it when I give someone a gift and they shrug it off. I know that they like it. I know that they are grateful. I know that they are just embarrassed and don't want to make a fuss about it. But it still drives me crazy. And it has always driven me crazy! I would personally much rather be over-the-top, gooshing over with thanks than shrug off someone's kind gesture.

So, about 12 years ago (wow - that's a long time!) I started an annual gratitude list that I create every single December in preparation for Christmas and the New Year. And, because of my over-the-top-obsessive-need-to-do-everything-ridiculously-huge-ness, my list consists of not one thing that I am grateful for a day, but a corresponding number to the current date. So, on December 1st I write one thing I am grateful for, on the 2nd I add another two things, and so on. By the time the 31st rolls around, I have accumulated 496 things I am grateful for! AND each of these things HAVE to be unique - while I may be grateful for my husband most days :) I can only include him once.

I love reading back through these lists. They just speak so much about me and the person I was at the time. From being grateful for "the smile from that cute guy at the store" to being grateful for "my first Christmas with my eternal companion," these lists define what is really important to me. Plus, they help me evaluate my year, my priorities, my life, and prepare for the new year.

So, instead of writing my list this year in my thought book (yes, I have a thought book. And yes, it is different than a journal), I think it would be nice to publicly share my gratitude list this year. This way my list will have more permanence.

I invite you to give thanks along with me. I love, love, love this time of year, and this list helps me really get into the holiday spirit and reminds me of how much I have. It may be hard at first, but it is something that I am so glad I have done for all of these years! Join me and share your gratitude!

So . . . without further adieu . . .

1. For Stephen. My mom and dad were divorced when I was extremely young (like 2), and then my mom spent the next 14 years of her life in a marriage that stunk, followed by several more years divorced and alone. She had pretty much resigned herself to growing old by herself. My wedding day was bittersweet because while I was excited to be married, I felt like I was leaving my mom behind. Then came Stephen. He changed my family in more ways that I can ever explain. He provided a patriarch for my family. He loves my mom the way she deserves to be loved. He made her feel confident enough to be herself, her true self. He changed all of our lives. And every day, every single day that I talk to my mom on the phone and she tells me about how he got up at 5 a.m. to make her lunch or picked out another toy for Kaiah or got up with her at 3 a.m. so that she could go to the bathroom without being scared, I thank my Heavenly Father for allowing me to finally have both a mom and a dad who love each other. And today is their 4th anniversary. And I am so deeply, deeply, grateful for that.