Thanksgiving (and I have to much to be grateful for)

One year ago, I could no longer deny the symptoms and the pain that I was having. My head and mid-back hurt and there was numbness in my left hand and foot. In my mind I had decided that after the Thanksgiving holiday, I would call and make a doctor's appointment. I did, and after bouncing around at different doctors for 2 weeks, I finally found one that believed me. Dr. Allen Brown ran several tests, including the MRI, and the MRI revealed a brain tumor. Finding him saved my life, and I am truly thankful.

I'm also thankful that I don't have to face the same fears as I did a year ago. I knew something was really wrong with me, but I wasn't sure what. You know what they say, the fear of the unknown can be overwhelming.

I am thankful that each day brings me closer to God, and without His strength, I would never have made it. He is my pillar when I feel so weak. When I feel so scared, I can turn to Him and He offers comfort. Afterall, He is the comforter.

I am thankful for my rather large and unconventional family. There was a time that I thought my family was all broken up, but, by the hand of God, those cracks have come together to form relationships that I never thought possible. It has been in this last year that those cracks have been buffed out and now a beautiful family has been restored.

Through my illness last year, my cousin and I have truly found friendship again. That means enough to me that I would not trade the brain tumor for that. All the aftermath, the huge seven-inch scar, the headaches, the material losses - all worth it for our friendship.

I am thankful that God hears and cares about my cries. I have desired true Christian friends for a long time. I've wanted the kind of friends that liked me just as much as I liked them. The kind of friends that I didn't have to chase and try to force to like me. The kind that just do. And the kind of friends that love God just as much as I do and together we all strive to be closer to Him. He's blessed me with these friends and I am so grateful. Each week we gather together on a Friday night to study the Bible together. Finding young people like us to share this passion with is absolutely amazing.

I am thankful that God has given me such a wonderful husband. Sure, he's human and has his flaws, but he is such a strong supporter, my best friend, and a dream of a father. Each year we've grown closer together, and the fact that he so diligently stood by my side over the last year is one of the reasons that I have come as far as I have.

I am thankful for my two beautiful, smart, and healthy children. There are so many mothers out there that lose a child or raise a sick child, and I know that I am lucky not to face those trials. My kids are both happy and have wonderful distinct personalities. They are the reason that I work so hard to become 100% better.

Next to my husband, I have a best friend in my mom. There isn't anything that I couldn't tell her, and even in the worst of times we just giggle and giggle when we're together. Some of the few memories I have of being in the hospital last year are of me, her, and my husband just laughing and laughing until tears were in my eyes.

I am thankful to belong to a church family and have a mentor to shepard and guide me. Certainly, I read and study God's word, but having my Pastor and his wife to answer any of my questions and love me through any confusions is absolutely wonderful. I don't think of them as just my Pastor and his wife, but I truly consider them my friends.

And I am thankful for life. I am thankful that the God I serve is alive and well and that bones can live again...