Being Thankful - Day Five

Today, I thank my Lord for my parents and the family that they created for us.  I am blessed with two great brothers and one great sister.  I only live near one of them.  Yet all four of still hold a close bond with each other, even through the miles that separate us.  I suppose the fact that we have the blessing of instant communication has a lot to do with that.  But, the fact is that we want to keep the bonds of family strong, even though we are far apart, in different stages of life, or have different interests and ideas.  I love y'all, L, R, and D!

And I'm so thankful that I was blessed with two good, honest, hardworking parents.  Through easy times and hard times, I've always had them both actively a part of my life.  They were gifted with good health all of my growing up days.  And they parlayed that good health into devoting so much of themselves into their family.  My sweet father went through a most difficult heart surgery earlier this year and its accompanying difficult recuperation period, and he has approached even this incredible challenge with the same consistency, determination, and steadfast self discipline that he has used throughout his whole life.  A good sister at church, Charlotte, told us that heart surgery doesn't just happen to the patient.  The whole family goes through it.  That is very true for my mom.  Yet, she has figured out how to mentally organize the myriad of emotions that became her new constant companions.  Just as she organized four busy children's schedules, along with staying very much on top of their school work, and not missing a beat with her church responsibilities, she used those same skills to figure out this new world of worry and intense love that surrounds her and my dad.

I'm so grateful, so thankful, that they are both still with us.  And I'm so grateful for their strength and for the new chances to love them more and hopefully learn more from them.  I'm so thankful that they raised me in a home that recognized Jesus Christ as Lord.

I love you Mom and Dad!  And I'm so thankful that y'all are my parents.