Remembering to be Thankful

With the holiday season upon us, I feel that is essential for each of us to be mindful of all the great things in our lives and not get too caught up in the craziness of the  holidays and how it can make people sad. I love the holidays and am always surprised that they can be serious downers for people, but I think for that reason it is all the more essential to be thankful for everything we value.

For me, I think I am most thankful for two things. My friends and family, who are absolute rocks in my life. My husband keeps me grounded and sane, while family is just a constant source of support. My dad is my twin and my sister is my best friend. My mom keeps me balanced and my in-laws are all amazing. I am lucky to have such amazing extended families on both sides.

My dad, sister, myself and Mom on our family trip to Alaska.

Uncle Marc, Aunt Bern, Dan, Kristen and myself.

Friends are also a huge source of love and support. My friends always joke that I am glue that keeps our groups of friends together, and while that role can be tiring and you can start to resent being the planner of the group all the time, I am glad I have this opportunity to remind myself that it is so special to have such a far reaching group of friends and that being the glue brings you so much closer to each friend you have. I am thankful that I am the GLUE!


At the Ugly Sweater Party last year.

A few of my best girlfriends in the entire world. Suzanne, my Cousin Kristen,
Sarah, my sister Dominique, myself and Jackie.

The other thing I am really thankful for is modern medicine. I have a sports problem which I got from my dad. I don't know how to go less than all out and as a result it has led to some pretty rough injuries for my throughout my life. I am glad I had knee surgery now than years ago and that I am a healthy individual who heals at a pretty fast rate. I am also unbelievably thankful for modern medicine for another reasons. My dad, the summer before my freshman year of high school, had a pseudo brain aneurysm after running through a fence playing hardball. (See where the not going less than all out comes from!) I almost lost my dad that summer multiple times, and if it wasn't for the amazing brain surgeons and doctors who cared for  him for weeks and years after, I would not have been able to have my dad walk me down the aisle or have a father daughter dance. My dad is one of my best friends. My sister and mom joke that we are geeks and we are OK with that. We are the science loving, bookworm types and I am so glad I didn't lose all those precious years with him.

I was especially inspired to write this post when fellow blogger, Heather, reached out to me to share her story. Heather is an 8-year survivor of mesothelioma – a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure. When she was diagnosed, she had just given birth to my little girl and was told had 15 months to live.  Her cancer story is so astonishing since a long-term survival story due to mesothelioma is unheard of.

Since Heather received her diagnosis in November, she said she used to get sad around the holidays and as a result decided to combat those sad feelings by creating the "30 Days of Thankfulness." You may be noticing other bloggers and friends on Facebook writing what they are thankful for everyday this month. Well, Heather is why.

She is really an inspiration as someone who has taken a diagnosis she still carries everyday, and found the silver lining. If you want to learn more about Heather's story, visit her page here: mesothelioma.com/heather.

So what are you thankful for today?