Giving Thanks x2

By N.A.

Taking a mental health break — yet, my mental health is still questionable — had me spending time with my two boys as they had the entire week off from school.  And, after spending more time with them outside our usual routine of school, homework, and activities, it made me realize that I was actually even more thankful for them than I could have ever imagined.

Just a quick list of why anyone with little to medium-sized people in their life should really take pause and reflect on just how much they add to a life because I feel new dimensions of love and appreciation just after the last seven days with them:

• I am thankful that they ask questions even when they are difficult or emotional to answer or I might not even have a clue how to respond. There is that passion to know and question that makes me say, thank you for showing me why I should never be complacent in life.
• I am thankful for their enthusiasm. Everything we did together involved laughter and those looks of pure joy on their faces — whether it was a go-kart, roller coaster, sugar-infused meal, one of mom’s educational trips to the Bodies exhibit or a hike in a canyon.
• I am thankful that they are there to keep me in check — whether it is helping me be patient or hanging in there while I make the tough decisions that I thought I would never be able to do.
• I am thankful that my kids are thankful for what they have — while I would love to give them the world, it would only hurt them and add to what’s wrong with it.
• I am thankful that they are there to help me constantly work on becoming a better me.