I know this seems like a really late post, but the subject has just recently hit home so bear with me. Thanksgiving for me has always been more about just seeing my family – not so much about being thankful for all that we have. My uncle always says a prayer before the meal and we hold hands and bow our heads. While I am thankful for my life and my family, I am not a religious person, unlike the rest of my family who are very much into their religion and faith.
Recently I stumbled across a website which tells the heart-breaking story of a toddler who lost her life to cancer. This family, like me, lives here in Dallas, and the hospital she was in is only a few miles away from my house. I spent a good while reading this family’s story and the articles that were published in Dallas Morning News about them.
Far too often I read and hear people saying they just wish their ill-behaved children would leave them alone, or give them a break. The parents say they wish they could just have one day to themselves with no children or interruptions. But what if you lost all that? What would you give to have all that back, even if for only five minutes with your precious child again?
So I am thankful. I am thankful for my family, my husband, the roof over my head, the clothes on my body, the food on my table. Most of all I am thankful for my son and all the ways he has changed my life for the better. I am thankful for every cry, every tear, every scream, every sleepless night, every bang on the door while I’m in the bathroom. I am thankful for every smile, every laugh, every hug, every kiss.
I love you, my baby boy. You have given me so much in ways you’ll never know. Thank you.
