Sunday Thanks

Today's True Confession: It's been a really long time since I have been to church.

Like most people in South Louisiana, I was raised Catholic.  Catholic school, church on Thursdays and Sundays, Confession, Communion, the works... and you don't question any of this.  I think that as a child (at least for me, anyway), it was so easy to go along with  all of this blindly and simply know that my parents, priests, teachers, and community were all right.  When I became an adult, I had a harder time with this blind acceptance.

Even though I may now have my own thoughts on organized religion, it shouldn't be confused with my spirituality.  My relationship with God is on a much more personal level than it has ever before and for me, that is quite fine.  So, maybe because it's Sunday... or maybe I'm still feeling a little sentimental because of all of the wine that I drank last night... but today I am feeling incredibly grateful and wanted to share my thanks...

Today I give thanks for having a truly amazing, one of a kind, love of my life.  The relationship between me and my husband is far from perfect but I think that the lack of "perfectness" is what makes it something so special.  The times that we fight or have a disagreement are few and far between and when we do, it completely throws my world upside down.  I absolutely hate it.  It's
when we overcome those times that I know that there isn't anything that we can't deal with.  At times, the man can drive me insane but he makes me laugh and makes my world so much fuller and so much brighter.  Being the girl that I am, there have been times when late at night I am feeling overwhelmed with the things going on in our life.  For the first time ever, I have a man who cares enough to come and rescue me from myself.  And for this, I am so incredibly grateful.

This weekend, I have had the pleasure of having a visit from my best friend, J.  Of course things didn't go as planned and long story short, the weekend of shopping and pedicures that I had planned failed miserably when my a.c. broke and we ended up spending our entire Saturday in my hot and humid house while we waited for the repair man.  J and I are so different.  She is the only woman that I know that can be sitting in an 85 degree home and still manage to have her makeup and hair done perfectly.  She is incredibly driven, motivated, and competitive, uses fancy words in her everyday language, and always looks cute and put together (even after she has run 13 miles).  Despite our many differences, she has stuck by my side for the past five years.  Through all of the tears, laughter, break ups, relationships, episodes of Gossip Girl, and both of the Sex and the City movies (even though we agree that the second one sucks), she has remained a faithful and true friend.  I don't know what I did to deserve such a great friend.  For her, I am so incredibly grateful.

With our move rapidly approaching, I find myself clinging to the time that I get to spend with family.  I am looking forward to a visit from my mom, sister, and godchild next weekend.  I will miss all of my family but I think these three the most.  Like many moms and daughters, the road that my mom, sister and I had from childhood to adulthood was not always a  smooth one.  But, somehow, the three of us have made it and are all in a really good place with one another.  I fear moving and being so far away and missing many firsts as my sister handles being a new mommy.  Luckily, the bond that we have can deal with a few thousand miles between us.  I know that I am the woman that I am today because of both my mom and my sister.  I also know that the woman that I will be tomorrow is going to be even better as I strive to be a good role model for my godchild.  For all of this, I am so incredibly grateful.

Life will never be perfect... but today, it feels pretty close to it and I am so incredibly grateful for that.