Thankful for Thirty-Two

A couple of years ago, I did a Thankful Thirty post, and I felt like I had a lot to be thankful for -- way more that just thirty things!  I figure I can definitely add a few more to the list now.  So here is my "edited and amended" list of 32 thanksgivings:

1.  I am first and foremost thankful for my relationship with my Saviour who loves me unconditionally.  Without Him and the hope that He gives, I would be lost and nothing else in this list would matter!  (This one can remain the same forever!)

2.  I am thankful for true love...MOSTLY MINE!  I met my true love over 12 years ago and cherish every precious moment with him.  Thank you, Eddie, for sharing your life with me!  (Yep, this one can stay although the number of years has increased.)

3.  I am thankful for the gift of motherhood.  I cherish every minute I spend with my beautiful baby boys.  From my first knowledge of our first and second children, I felt an overwhelming love and responsibility to these little people.  That love has grown deeper and stronger everyday!  (I just amended this one to include Brody.)

4.  I am thankful for the unconditional love of a child!  My precious sons show me their unwavering and unconditional love everyday!  I never knew when I gave so much love to my child I would get so much in return!   (Just added another child who shows me unconditional love!)

5.  I am thankful for parents who chose to love a child who was not biologically their own.  (Still and always the same!)

6.  I am thankful for parents who allowed God to guide and direct them in a path that led them to me.  (Still and always the same.)

7.  I am thankful for wonderful, loving church friends who have always provided me with a fun and spiritually nurturing environment for my faith to grow and thrive.  (I have had tons of these great influences on my life in my past and just hope that my children will also have this in their future.)

8.  I am thankful for wonderful holiday memories spent with a large extended family.  As the family grows and inevitably moves further apart, I cherish the memories spent together even more.

9.  I am thankful for wonderful grandparents who loved me.  My beautiful Granny lived a vibrant life of 90 years, and my fiery Grandmother is still lively at 87.  They were and are amazing role models for me.  (Still the same.  Grandma is still alive and well at 87!  Praise God for her!)

10.  I am thankful for higher education and for the opportunities it has allowed me.  I am thankful that I attended a wonderful undergraduate institution where professors cared, and I am thankful for the opportunity of attending a new and thriving law school in our wonderful city.   (Still thankful for this one at the moment.)

11.  I am thankful for being able to raise my son close to his biological cousins and family.  (We've had some rough patches, but I am still thankful for this one too.)

12.  I am thankful for tons and tons of wonderful family memories!  (and even more since then!)

13.  I am thankful for cameras to record all those precious family memories!  (Always thankful!)

14.  I am thankful for a career where I get to truly help people in need...people who get injured while performing their job duties to put food on the table and then suddenly find they can no longer provide those basic necessities.  (Still thankful although the work load has been tough lately!)

15.  I am thankful to live in a country where we still enjoy the basic freedoms that we often take for granted, but many people in the world do not enjoy!  (I hope I can stay thankful for this one for many more years to come!  Pray for our great country, folks!)

16.  I am thankful for all those people who fight and die to allow me the privilege to live in a free country! (Always so very thankful!)

17.  I am thankful for a lovely and comfortable home that I enjoy.  (Always thankful!)

18.  I am thankful for a beloved pet that I was able to love for almost 14 years.  (Sadly, my Jingles passed away only a couple of days after I wrote this one in 2010, but I am still thankful to have had him so long.)

19.  I am thankful for wonderful family vacations when I was a child.  (Always thankful!)

20.  I am thankful to have already taken my sons on some fun and memorable family vacations, including a trip to meet his Great-Grandma in California and a trip to Disney World. (Just added the addition of our trip to Disney World this year.)

21.  I am thankful for life lessons that help us learn from our mistakes and teach us to cherish what is important.  (Always thankful.)

22.  I am thankful for a brother who kept us together through many rough times and took good care of me. (Always thankful.)

23.  I am thankful for beautiful nieces and nephews to love!  (Always thankful.)

24.  I am thankful for sisters-in-law who are really just "sisters."  (Always thankful even through the rough times.)

25.  I am thankful for my sweet precious Brody.  When I initially wrote this one, we had just found out we were pregnant, and he was still a "secret."  We love him to the moon and back!

26.  I am thankful for a future filled with endless possibilities.  (I have faith that these possibilities are forthcoming!)

27.  I am thankful for student loans.  Haha!  Well, without them it would be a little difficult to achieve some dreams!  (Yikes!  I am still thankful, but the thought of paying them back is so daunting right now!)

28.  I am thankful for a comfortable bed that is calling my name!  (Oh my, this one definitely still applies tonight!  Ha!)

29.  I am thankful for birthday beach trips with family!  (Yep, I can say that one again.)

30.  I am thankful for my next 30, 40, 50, or 60 years!!!

31.  I am thankful to be in my last year of law school FINALLY!  

32.  I am thankful that my family has been blessed with health, safety, and happiness together!