Time Warp Tuesday: Thanksgiving Gratitude

It’s Tuesday again people. Time to do the Time Warp! Today’s theme is Thanksgiving and gratitude. Luckily I’ve written a lot of posts on the subject of gratitude so I had plenty to choose from. The post I finally did pick is called A Token of my Gratitude (or Five). It was written on September 28, 2009 just one month after I started my blog and only a week before I found out I was pregnant a second time. During that time I was struggling very much to see the good in my life. I was still healing from my ectopic and wondering if I would ever have a child to call my own. I didn’t know how to live I had when the life I wanted seemed so unattainable. At the time I had no idea that I was already pregnant. That the tiny seed that would eventually grow into my daughter had already been planted and was starting to grow.

Now, strangely, I find myself in a similar predicament, unsure of how to proceed with my life when the life I dream of remains ever elusive. I suppose now is the perfect time to reflect, again, on five things I’m thankful for, to revel in the bounty of my life and not in what I perceive as its shortcomings.

These were my five tokens of gratitude over two years ago.

Here are my five tokens of gratitude today.

Today I am thankful for…

my daughter

Isa is the light of my life. She is my happiness, my joy, my inspiration. She has healed wounds I presumed incurable. She brings me happiness with every smile. She is my everything. Every. single. day. I thank the universe for entrusting her precious spirit into my care.

my partner

I love Mi.Vida very much and am so fortunate to have him in my life. I’m thankful that he’s willing to work through our difficulties and negotiate our differences. I delight in watching him with our daughter, who adores him more than anyone. My partner inspires me, supports me and loves me unconditionally. I am confident that we will do everything in our power to make our relationship work, now and in the future.

our families

I don’t know what we would do without the continued love and support from both our parents. They shower Isa with attention (and cloths and gifts) and they frequently watch her so we can enjoy much appreciated time to ourselves. If it weren’t for our parents we couldn’t go to couples counseling every other week, relish the occasional date night, make extra money tutoring, appreciate personal pleasures like yoga, heck, we couldn’t actually afford child care. We depend on our parents support and they provide it in spades. We are so fortunate to have the close by and willing and able to help us whenever they can.

(Isa with Mi.Vida’s parents.)

my friends

I must admit, I had lost hope that I’d ever make a good friend as an adult and now (miraculously!) I have two! I seriously don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t text or call these women (J and B – I ❤ you!) when my life is making me crazy or sad or… crazy sad. They are always there for me, to shit talk someone who’s pissed me off, to sympathize when I’m down, to support me when I’m overwhelmed and to celebrate when I’m in high spirits. They are they for me rain or shine and I am so very thankful for their presence in my life.

(I somehow don’t have a picture of the three of us so I thought I’d include a screen shot of my and Jjiraffe’s never ending text stream. Also, those heinous exercise class stories I’m mentioning above? They are up on her blog right now and I highly suggest you check them out. They are hilariously insane.)

my blog/the blogosphere/the twitterverse

When I started this blog I didn’t realize where it would end up taking me. I never, in my wildest dreams, expected this place to serve as a porthole to a community of women I so admire and respect. I am simultaneously proud and humbled to participate in the dialogue that happens here, and on the blogs of my peers, every day. Teaching and motherhood are such isolating endeavors, if it weren’t for this space I’d be a fundamentally different (and lonelier) person. This community is more supportive than any I’ve ever had the pleasure of being a part of. I truly believe feeling accepted and supported by my online friends is one of the reasons I’m so much less scared to continue building my family. If this outlet had existed for me during my first loss, it would have been a less devastating experience, I’m sure.

And that is my top five list of things I am thankful for.

What in your life are you thankful for?