Thankful

I am thankful, in spite of my challenges. They push me on, and keep me going.

I am enriched, in spite of my debts, none of which are greater than I what owe my friends for their unflagging faith and support.

I am calmed, in the midst of my own storm, by the hand I feel on my shoulder, which belongs to my beloved daughter. I would be adrift without her. She sees so clearly sometimes, what is too close for me to make out.

I am steadied, day to day, by the voice of my sister, who is always, always honest with me. There is not a day that I hear her voice that I do not think about the time that we were apart, and I am thankful that time is over. In the end, it was the mortar that made us stronger...that and my daughter.

I am blessed to have my mother so close by me. She believes in me, and we all need that, to bridge those devilish times when we second guess our own worth, and wonder...just wonder, how we are going to push through. I often wish I had the ability to see me as she does. But then, I remember how I see my own daughter, and I understand.

I am thankful, with each day's rise and fall, for my dear friends, the ever-widening circle of creative muses and wild women who populate my world now. There aren't enough words to describe the depth and breadth you have brought to my little world. Life is, I assure you, unimaginable without each one of you. Know that you are special, and that I am thankful for the new eyes you let me see with every day.