11/11/11 11:11 11 Points of Thanks

Thanks for reading!

I didn’t have this nice little Date and Time combo on my radar until my  old co-worker and FB buddy MMA pointed it out.  It’s the perfect combo for a date post, and since it in November, the month of thankfulness, here are 11 people and things I am thankful for.

1. God:  For all those times random bits of money show up in my mailbox just when I need them. For staying near me during the worst  parts of my life and for being there in the little moments of joy. For answering prayers and for creating the world I  get so much enjoyment from.   For allowing me to learn lessons on my own schedule and for not leaving me during the process.  For the Moon, sunshine, wind, rain and oceans. For creating nature and animals in all of their glory and wonder.
2. MineMe and The Destroyer:  For thinking I hung the moon no matter how many mothering mistakes I make.  For their fierce independence and attitude. For their sense of humor and their love for each other.  For little bony bodies  wrapped around mine in caterpillar hugs.  The joy of seeing the little people they are becoming as they make their own way in the world of school and friends.    Even for the sometimes feels like constant whining, fighting and pokiness when we are in a hurry.  Because it means they are here, with me, to drive me crazy.  For the times they surprise me with  a new way they process and react to something.   For the way they make me laugh, the way they make me cry, even the way they push me to scream and yell.  For family time snuggles on the couch.   They are wise beyond their years, they are intelligent, funny, genuine, sweet and learning to be responsible.  They are both growing into fine people and I am so very proud to be their Mother. For their love.
3. The Husband:   For doing the work on himself so we could realistically work on us. For knowing all the nooks and crannies of my soul and loving me anyway. For taking the time with me to craft  this new portion of our life together with thought and purpose.    For the way it feels when he calls me “Beautiful Girl”. The way he chooses to serve us as a  Father, co-provider, chef, taxi driver, date night planner, garden helper.  For the times he goes way out of his way to be a hero to our kids,  finding creative ways to retrieve lost treasures, tinker with and fix ride-ons and gaming systems. For keeping our home netwrok humming and me in shows and music. For morning snuggles and long talks.  For learning to appreciate my love of outdoors, for being tall, dark and hairy!   For his ability to calm all of us. For his love and loyalty.
4. Bad Gurls: Lefty:   For  Lefty’s one liners out of nowhere that send you to the floor in tears of laughter.   For her ability to sum things up in ways and communicate them in a manner that gets the point across but doesn’t judge you.  For teaching me to just breathe, to not beat myself up so much, for being my sounding board on matters of conscience.  For her voice of reason, for her countless hysterical stories.   For her loyalty and love.  One-eye:    For One-Eye’s ability to laugh at herself and at the rest of us. For the way she served her family way beyond the call of duty and still finds joy in doing it. For the way she listens, for the way she  loves, for her beautiful humanness, her capacity to forgive others endlessly.   For her ability to be dirty and raunchy and also perfectly respectable. For the giving nature. For her loyalty and love
5. SIL:  For stepping out of my life as graciously as she could when I was divorcing her brother and coming back in first and with open heart and arms when we started putting things back together.   For all our lengthy heart felt emotional and vulnerable garage talks. For making me laugh and smile. For  trading concerts with me as my concert buddy. For being there while things were falling apart, she knew more truth than The husband at a lot of points,  for being there as they got put back together. For being there for her brother and my kids while we were separated.  For being an A-hole so I can be the B-hole.
6. Dr. Dre: for his long term friendship. for the countless ours of joint therapy we provide each other. For being my confidant, me sometimes enable, my checkpoint and a male POV.  For  getting it, for no topic ever being off limits.  Foe knowing how my mind works, when to push and when to leave it be.
7. Shorty: For allowing me into her her life that one random GNO night and opening up and talking about her experiences, for sharing her secrets. For spending time shopping, or getting pedi’s. For the fun we have while out galavanting in the bar districts. For her shortness nest to my tallness, for her constant smile and easy laugh.  for her taste in  wine and vodka!
8. MiniBoobs:  For being able to pick up where we left off, no matter how much time has passed.  For her design and decor sense of taste, so different than mine, but so her and so sophisticated.  For willingness to openly share the foibles of her life and for  the role she played during the almost divorce, letting me cry, letting me scream. For telling me that  I wasn’t crazy.  For her love and loyalty.
9. Besties:  For ALL my besties, they bring so much joy into my life.  They teach me about resilience, and strength.  Because they are good friends,  mothers, wives.  For the hell we raise together and  the dissapointments and battles and burdens  they  share and gain strength from.  For the love they show and they wisdom they share. For their love and loyalty
10. MUSIC: Oh music.  For all the  artists who create the songs that move me. For  touring so I can see them live. For making music I can dance, jump, shout, cry and rejoice with.
11. Running: I haven’t been doing it much lately, but it is the single best thing I can do for myself on a regular basis besides appreciate the moment.