Thursday Thirteen: Small things that speak volumes to me

MORE Thursday 13 Participants can be found HERE. Check it out!

This week my topic is 13 Small Things that Speak Volumes to Me....


1. The heaving sigh the puppies makes when they lay down beside me.

2. Having people look me in the eye when they speak to me.

3. People taking grocery carts back into the store when they are finished unloading.

4. The gift of photos of our sons in a frame that was given to us by our friend at Christmas. It was the kindest, most thoughtful thing ever and I love it.

5. My co-worker bringing me a coffee when she relieves me at work because she has stopped for one for herself on the way in.

6. My son saying " I love you more than that" when I tell him I love him.

7. An email from my mom in the morning that she sends before her day begins. There is always an email waiting when I wake up to start my day.

8. Out of the blue texts from friends who live far away saying " Thinking of you" and nothing else.

9. Having someone lend me four seasons of "Downton Abbey" to watch.

10. Sitting in the living room with my spouse after the kids have gone to bed and watching a show together.

11. Listening to my kids and my spouse laughing.

12. Someone recommending a book to me.

13. My spouse making a salad for me so it is ready when I come home after a late shift.

Our New Puppies

We have new puppies. They are just over three months old, litter mates and a mixed breed. We looked up characteristics of both breeds to see if we could get an idea of what kinds of things we might find in our babies as they grow. He are some of the things we have found out that seem to be true of our babies (they have been home with us for a just over a month).
1. They are comical, affectionate and playful.
2. They are SUPER INTELLIGENT.
3. They like to be challenged and have fun and will make up games if they are not entertained.
4. Howling is a favorite pastime. This is SO true, particularly of Flames (CJ's puppy). He loves to howl and when he gets started the others all join in. By others I mean :Brownie, Zuva, Max and CJ!

Riding lessons

Recently in our small community an opportunity has presented itself for us to get riding lessons for the boys. They have ridden horses before with friends, but never taken any kind of formal lessons. In a small community options for recreation are limited (unless we participate in hockey - which we currently don't). We were thrilled with the chance and signed them up immediately. True to form, our eldest is not interested at all in getting onto the horse, but he was willing to go into the arena and LEAD the horse (or "drive it" as he says). Our thrill seeking younger son was excited to go and at the end of his first lesson his only complaint was that he didn't get to go faster! He has had two lessons, and we have signed up for more. My hope is that the eldest will decide at some point he wants to participate but in the meantime we will let him "drive", and that's ok!

Land lots of land - and goats

We live on six acres of land which is PLENTY enough to raise some animals. I have a SMALL desire to have other kinds of animals, but a BIGGER desire to remain free to come and go as I please without worrying about getting someone else to tend the smallholding. (which now that I write it out is FUNNY if you know me - I am a total homebody and hate going anywhere!)
I have dreams of having goats - I don't know why - they amuse me and I think they would be great for the boys. I would also like chickens, a few beehives, and maybe a cow and a donkey and a miniature horse or two.
Realistically it is unlikely that we will ever have animals, but if we did I would ABSOLUTELY get one of these:

Parking Problems - rural style

I remind myself often that people actually pay to get out of cities and stay in rural locations as a "getaway". I am grateful that this is where I live. I see the northern lights often. I see the stars brightly shining nightly. I see wildlife literally on a daily basis, and I don't have to drive though nasty traffic to get to work and my parking is free!
The other day when I arrived at work I was a little preoccupied with gathering all of my stuff and when I looked up ready to out of my vehicle there were two moose in the yard.
I would rather my parking "problems" than some of my friends and families problems in cities!

By the time I put all my garbage down and got my camera in hand they had walked off into the bushes, but here is evidence that I DID see them.

An Apologetic Gay

This week I went to a presentation on homophobic bullying. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to go and hear the speaker. He spoke about some things I already know, and some things I had no idea about. But one thing that he said specifically resonated with me.
He talked about measuring the "health" or the "safety" of a community - whether it be a school, a town, a company, a government - by the visibility and involvement of minorities. If a space is not a safe space then the minorities will not speak out, they will not be vocal, they may not even be visible. It really made me think of our experiences in this small community where we have been for more than ten years. First of all we are the ONLY out gay couple that I know of. There is no gay organization in this community at all. The high schools have no out gay students or gay student organization and the college has no gay student organization.
Let me say this before I continue - there are "pockets" of places where we have felt very accepted in this community. One of these is with some of the administrators and teachers and aides at the school where our kids attend. On days Mother's day they send home two cards, or two projects for the boys for each of us. On Fathers day they send home a project for us, so the kids are still working on things when the others are making things for their dads. We have a pocket of support in our small rural community - we have neighbours who are AMAZING and who have been good friends to us. So we don't live in this horribly hostile place and I don't want to give the impression that we do. However, having said that, I DO feel as though I have been stifled. I have stood in my office at work when co-workers have made fun of gay people. I attended a family campout with my children where at a campfire one of my friends husbands, in front of everyone, said to me " I have no problem with people being lesbian, I just think if they use a dildo then they are not a real lesbian and they are fooling themselves. Do you use one?" Interestingly he did not, nor did anyone else, talk about the sexual practices of anyone else around the campfire, and whether or not their sexuality was "valid".
I think of myself sometimes as an "apologetic gay". I am sorry for the anguish that my being gay has caused in my life and in the lives of my family. I am sorry that it has affected some of my relationships. I am very conscious about the things I say, the things I post on facebook, the things I post on my blog, and the way I present myself (or don't present myself) in public because I don't want to be offensive. I have avoided saying things when co-workers have made gay jokes or said "That's so gay". I have laughed off, and downplayed comments like the one made to me at the family picnic. It makes me a little sad. A LOT sad - because as I sat in that presentation and I thought of being a gay teen in this community where there is no support, I thought of how I WOULD say things on the behalf of that youth. I would protect, I would advocate and I would not be silent in the face of such overt and blatant homophobia. I am sad that I have not done that for myself, and for my spouse. I resolved in that meeting that I would like to change how I have been apologetic. Now I just need to figure out how!

Silly Zuva

Zuva is our dog. We got her from a local rescue as a puppy many years ago. She is a great dog and she is getting older. She is not so fond of playing all the time any more - our first real physical sign of her age. She has always been very playful. She will still play, but now on her terms, not on ours. She is fond of finding cozy places to rest, and at Christmas she decided one of those spaces was under the tree where no-one could easily reach her. Silly pup.

42 goals for being 42

When I turned 42 I decided I wanted to set 42 goals and I began a list which unfortunately only made it to number ten!
Here are the ten things I have come up with so far - and there are only ten months remaining in the year. D'OH!
So I am up to 19 goals. I have completed 3 of them. Not bad - only 39 left to complete in the next ten months.


1. Get a tattoo - I GOT ONE! I January I got another tattoo. I am happy with it, but of course I want more. Dang I love tattoos.

This is from my family crest and it means "I have fought and conquered".
2. Finish a cross stitch character for mom's nativity.
3. Make a quilt.
4. Take the boys to the ocean.
5. Do a craft from Pinterest that I am interested in.
6. GRADUATE with my master's degree.
7. Blog at least 52 times in the next year. Since January I have blogged three times on this blog and twice on twomomsread. I have to look specifically and see how many times I have blogged since I set the goal for myself.
8. Read at least 52 books in the next year. So far I have read 7 books and I have blogged about two of them on my other blog (twomomsread)
9. Start to Zentangle.
10. Take a photo every single day.

Here are some more goals I have added, (but I am also up for ideas if anyone has any..)
11. Try 10 new recipes out on the family to see if they like them.
12. Make myself a cross stitch tree decoration. I have completed TWO but I am working on a project that has seven cross stitches which I would like to complete. But even if I don't complete all seven - I have finished this goal!
13. Fix up the small room upstairs for me for a craft room.
14. Take a puppy training class.
15. Write a handwritten letter to five people that I love, telling them why I love them.
16. Get a family photo taken and hang it on a wall in our house.
17. Ride bikes with my family.
18. Send 1 items of art (or a letter) from Max and CJ to both their Grannies. Actually PUT IT IN THE MAIL WITH A STAMP AND AN ADDRESS!
19. Write a personal mission statement. DONE! You can read it right here on this blog!

Grief is like a wave

I have often heard the comparison between grief and waves. I thought it meant that grief would ebb and flow the way waves ebb and flow, but tonight as I was driving I was hit with a wave of grief and I realized the comparison has nothing to do with the rising and falling of emotion. Waves have rhythm and a pattern that grief does not.
Grief is salty.
Grief knocks your feet out from under you and for a moment you don't know how to orient yourself with the rest of the world.
Even when you KNOW you will experience grief, the actual impact of grief is shocking and will take your breath away.
Grief is much stronger than you realize.
It is beyond your control and can leave you high and dry with a wicked sand burn.

My Mission Statement

My Cousin Jessica  posted on her blog for the new year her personal mission statement and her resolutions for 2014. I thought it was a very cool idea and so I am going to do it also!
I have never had a personal mission statement. I am excited about this!
Here goes:

 

 

 

My 2014 Personal Mission Statement

 

 

My life has a purpose.

 

I am grateful. I am compassionate. I am strong. I forgive.

 

I have the ability to be balanced and successful in all that I do.

 

I trust myself. I listen to my inner voice. I choose joy.

 

I will see every day as a new opportunity filled with light, laughter, and joy.

 

 

My Resolutions

 

 

I will finish my degree.

 

I will read 52 books.

 

I will incorporate colour into my life daily.

 

 



The holidays are so hard.

I am a huge fan of the holidays. I ADORE tradition and making traditions with my own family is something I love to do. Unfortunately, the holidays are a HUGE stressor for the boys. Change is difficult at the best of times and holidays are so stimulating it can be completely overwhelming. The excitement at school is one thing, but add to that decorations, lights, music, presents, and preparing gifts for family members and it is too too much for my children.
We have tried to decorate early - in November - and leave the decorations up for a super long time for the boys to get used to. We have tried decorating on Christmas Eve and take everything down by Boxing day so there is not so much time to get distressed by the changes.
Let's just say that in the seven years we have had Max, we have had seven different variations on how we attempt to incorporate the holidays in our home. We have still not hit upon the plan that best minimizes the overstimulation. It's a HUGE frustration for Shel and I. We WANT to have a festive and happy holiday. Here we are, less than ten days away from Christmas and we don't have anything up. Well, we do have a Christmas table cloth.
It's so crazy. The "happiest" time of year and I am grieving the loss of my "dream" of Christmas.
I wish I knew what to do to make it the best for the boys without feeling as though I am missing out on something that I love.

What I know for sure

Please bear with me - this post is going to ramble on a bit.

Oprah always says "What I know for sure is...." I have been envious of her - she knows a lot of things for sure! She has been publishing magazines monthly for over ten years and she prints something she knows for sure in each one of them, so that ALONE is more than 120 things that she knows.
I always think - "I wish I knew something for sure."

I mentioned in an earlier post that I am doing meditations for the first time. I am well into the third week and the most recent meditation was about being grateful.

I believe in gratitude. I always have. I had an experience this week where I was away at a conference and a server who was working for the hotel was seeming to have a rough night. One of the women at our table saw her getting into some trouble in the hallway and she was not smiling or enjoying herself as she worked serving dinner. Another (inspired) person at our table issued a challenge to those of us seated there to see who could make her smile first. A challenge is something I am usually up for and it was GREAT fun to try and get her attention, show gratitude for what she was doing for us, and get her to smile. We managed to get her to smile then and over the next 24 hours went out of our way to connect with her. I KNOW FOR SURE that she felt appreciated by us and that it made a difference to her that night. It was a recent and "re"-affirmation that gratitude has power.

Late last night I got a text message that my aunt's organs were failing and that her children were being gathered at the hospital immediately. Later, the decision was made to remove her from the respirator and within a few hours the message came that she had passed away.

I was - I AM  - gutted. I hurt for my mom. I hurt for my cousins. I hurt for me! I lay in bed, my mind racing and I thought, I need to get some sleep tonight and I need to do my meditation. I turned it on and began listening to the message on gratitude. I lay in bed, tears streaming down my face, listening to a message I KNOW to be true - and not feeling like I WANTED to be grateful at all for the passing of my loved one. I felt hypocritical laying there, listening and feeling resentment instead of gratitude. Out of the blue, I imagined being in the presence of my aunt and hearing her say my name. "Ju".

I cried harder, but realized that I have -  I KNOW FOR SURE  that I have - MANY, MANY things to be grateful for.

I am grateful that I was born in a time and in a place and in a  family where I was loved, nurtured and raised by my aunt, forging with her a mother-daughter bond that has lasted my lifetime and is not done.
I am grateful for the skinned knees she fixed when I crashed my bike over a speed bump in California Caravan Park in England - racing to get home to her.
I am grateful that she taught me how to cross stitch, grateful for the Christmas decorations we made together.
I am grateful for the red rosettes she sent to me every year for my birthday - with my age in gold. I am grateful for her voice, her songs, that lifted my spirit. I loved to lay my head on her lap in church and FEEL her sing.
I am grateful for her prayers for me "When the moon is rising". (The moon rises daily - as did her prayers on my behalf !)
There was never a time in my life EVER, that when I called her that she didn't greet me  - "Ju. Hi my love." She only had to hear me say hello and she knew it was me.  I am grateful for the dress she made for me when I graduated from high school - so that I didn't have to wear anything in pastels and with lots of bows - (she still managed to slip in a bow). I am grateful for the blankets she made for my sons. I am grateful for the hand written cards she sent when my pets died . She is one of only two people I know on earth who still sent things in the mail handwritten.

She was there for me in my infancy, there for me in my youth, there for me in my teenage years and in my adulthood.  I have spent time with her on three different continents. I spent summers with her when I was in high school, lived with her when I was.... Who knows what I was?! Confused?
I could go on and on and on and on.

In the last 20 hours or so I have watched her siblings, her nieces and nephews, and others she knows write on facebook about their love for her. The lives she impacted are immeasurable. I could start to make a list of the charitable organizations she has helped, of the hours of service she has put in, and begin to measure the impact she has had on the world. It is plain to see that EVERY person she had contact with has been enriched by their relationship.

Instead of beginning to take measure of the impact she had on others I will share with you what I know for sure  - she loved me. I know she did, and she knows that I love her.

Thank-you Aunty Bren. I know for sure.

Meditation Experience : day 2

I am about to begin the second meditation in the 21 day program with Oprah and Deepak.
Yesterday was my first one and I was nervous but I actually really enjoyed it. I have been looking forward to the second one all day.

You can still join by linking HERE.

The message today included this: "Through meditation, we connect more deeply with the present, increase our awareness of “what is,” and emerge from the silence with a sense of balance and a desire to make right, conscious choices in our lives. In this way, we begin to recognize our own undeniable role in creating the story of our lives and begin to align ourselves with those choices that are the most nurturing for ourselves and everyone around us."

Though I REALLY like the sound of it, and I certainly believe it may be true for some people, I don't think I am quite so enlightened after just one day! I will say however, that when I emerged from the silence yesterday I DID have a desire to make right, conscious choices in my life. I'm still seeking the "balance" part!

I am a little nervous about today's meditation because I feel like I could continue to do yesterday's meditation for a month before I was ready to move on. Is it possible to "meditate too fast?" LOL

Here I go.......

Season of Change

Lots of things have changed for our family in the past year and I have been working hard on moving forward with a sense of renewal and purpose and making a positive change - in our family and personally.

Here are some of the positive things that I am participating in/focusing on RIGHT NOW:

I am working in the community with the Restorative Justice Program and I LOVE it.
I have a new job with many opportunities for learning and growth and I am taking them!
I just started the 21 day meditation challenge with Deepak and Oprah and completed my first meditation today.
I am focusing on gratitude and being positive in my daily life.
I quit smoking.
I COMPLETELY changed the focus of my graduate program project and had to start over!


When I celebrated my 42 birthday I decided I would set a list of 42 goals - one for every year of my life and I would accomplish them by the time I turn 43. I have started a "pseudo" list in my brain but I wanted to start putting it down on paper (or blog) so it was a little more formal.

So in no particular order here is the beginning of my 42 goals for the year:

1. Get a tattoo.
2. Finish a cross stitch character for mom's nativity.
3. Make a quilt.
4. Take the boys to the ocean.
5. Do a craft from pinterest that I am interested in.
6. GRADUATE with my master's degree.
7. Blog at least 52 times in the next year.
8. Read at least 52 books in the next year.
9. Start to Zentangle.
10. Take a photo every single day.

.....
do you have any suggestions?

It's been 11 days....

The kids went home 11 days ago. I miss them SO much it is insane. It is such a strange thing to miss someone who is living, but who you have no access to. It's not like anything I have ever experienced before. We have been foster parents before and we have had MANY kids come and go from our home. Some we have kept in touch with, some are in the community and we see them from time to time, others we have no contact with but we didn't have for as long as these babies - and we weren't so bonded to them. It is a strange, strange thing and I have no words for it. I feel bereft.

It's not like I have a ton of time to sit around and mope. I am extremely busy with work and the boys are very, VERY busy - as usual. I am trying to be grateful for the blessings I have. I am focussing on gratitude and positivity in my life but still I get these "niggles" throughout the day of sadness for the babies being gone.

I am trying to think of this as a time to strengthen the relationship and focus on the "bigs" as we came to call them. We measured Maxies foot yesterday and it is the same size as Shel's. Our seven year old  has feet the size of his mama. Yesterday we played with him and CJ on the bed and giggled and laughed and had fun with "JUST" them like we haven't for a long time. I need desperately to reconnect with Maxie in particular and so I am trying to allowm yself to feel the gratitude for that opportunity right now.

It is hard to "let go". It's not something I have mastered and it is darn painful. At the end of the day I have to just "go through it" I guess and allow myself to feel the sadness and the loss and appreciate the LOVE that my little's brought into my life. They brought me so much joy and blessed my life immeasurably. I hope they know now and will ALWAYS know - Goo loves them.

If I had a flower for every time I think of you, I could walk forever in my garden.



 I love you my baby, You brought a smile to my face EVERY single day that I knew you. I will try to keep that smile :)

dont mess with her

Halloween Super Heroes

Our boys had SOOOOO much fun on Halloween it was amazing. It was one of the best nights we have had as a family all together in a LONG TIME. I am grateful for the day.

CJ went to school as an Iron Man and returned from school as an Iron Man Zombie!


He has been so excited about being Iron Man that he has been wearing his costume for weeks already. He went to school this morning in costume and was actually excited about school for once! I thought my social man was going to love school but alas, he does not. If only every day were a costume day.

Even Max wore "part" of a costume to school. This is miraculous as this shy guy wants to do NOTHING that will draw attention to himself. He wont even wear the toque his momma Shel got him because he doesn't want the other kids to "look at " him!
Crazy kid.

One of the reasons we LOVE trick or treating out in the country is because people give SO Much candy - you don't even have to go to many houses to get FULL bags! That was true again for this year. The people are so trusting they leave bags out while they take their own kids around. The first time I saw this I could not believe that people were so honest and actually LEFT candy out without worrying that it would all be taken by the first person who walked up. It isn't!

Is anyone home?



One of the houses that we went to even gave out FULL Mason jars to the kids, painted black and decorated like mummy's. SO CUTE!!!!

It was a great night. The weather was the best it has been in years and the boys were super excited.
The Halloween theme has carried through in our house for a few days now. The boys played "haunted house" last night and today Max decided to turn CJ into a skeleton with Permanent Marker.
CJ didn't object of course.

SO MAD AT THIS MESSED UP SYSTEM!

I think everyone who reads this blog knows that we have fostered children.
Let me just say that the foster care system in this country is JACKED UP.
When a child is removed from a home a parent usually has up to six months awarded by the court to get whatever it is they need straightened out done so. Sometimes less time is given but no more than six months. After (I'm going to use the maximum amount of time - because it has been in our case) six months the parents go back before the judge and they can prove they have done what is completed. If it is - kids go home. If not - kids stay in care and the case worker can either ask for another "temporary" guardianship order or a "permanent" guardianship order. Usually after six months, unless there are extreme  extenuating circumstances, the case worker will not ask for permanent guardianship but will continue to work with the family towards getting the child home.
In the time that the child/children are in care, the case worker must explore other possible placements for the child/ren in the event that return to parents is not possible.
They look to family members - this is known as kinship placement. This is the most sought after alternate care plan for the children. Family group conferences are held to try and establish who could possibly come forward in the event the parents cannot, to care for the children.
If there is family, they must pass criminal record checks and child welfare checks and their homes must be inspected and they must go through a process JUST as rigorous as any adoptive home. Those who have adopted children know that this process is very invasive and a huge pain - but absolutely necessary.
So now, twelve months have passed. HOPEFULLY by this time the parents have their shiznet together, because it is only legal to ask for temporary guardianship twice - or up to 12 months. Then the court MUST take the children and find alternate homes for them in order to provide the MOST stability and quickest resolution IN THEIR LIVES.

Here's what I think should NOT happen in foster care......
1. Kids should not be returned to parents who have no home.
2. Kids should not be returned to homes where individuals did not pass criminal record checks or child welfare checks.
3. Kids should not be returned to homes where they were removed from WHEN NOTHING HAS CHANGED IN THAT HOME "just because" workers are too busy with too many cases to adequately follow up and have things like drug tests completed.
4. Kids should not go from having "2 hour supervised" visits on an unpredictable schedule to being released to homeless parents for completely  unsupervised overnight (week long) visits before court because all of a sudden the court date is imminent and no transition plan has been made for the children.
5. Foster families should not be treated like chattel.

So if you are thinking of being a foster parent I have just one word of advise to you. RUN AWAY. RUN AWAY FAST before you meet and fall in love with, and care for children who will then be manhandled by a broken system.

Let me in!

I did the most UNTHINKABLE thing a parent could do - I  locked the bathroom door. I don't always, in fact, I NEVER lock the door, because the fights that ensue outside the door as everyone in the house tries to enter the locked door are unbearable. There's a child radar that goes off when a mother enters a bathroom and shuts the door. It alerts every child, and in our house, every animal, within 500 yards and they all come charging in to see what is the matter and to demand entry. For the MOST part, it is safer and quicker and quieter to leave the door open, sneak in and get out as fast as possible before anyone comes running.
I don't know why I decided to lock the door, but I did. The kids were all in bed asleep, but I KNEW, I KNEW, that the child radar would wake at least one of them. I threw caution to the wind and did it anyway.
I shut the door as quietly as possible, I turned the lock as quietly as possible. I undressed in complete silence and turned on the water. I stepped in and stood with my head under the scalding water and thought I was home free. Then came the knock. I heard it, but I pretended I didn't. I took an almost glorious HOT shower, but I felt guilty knowing one of my cherubs was out in the hallway, bereft without access to the bathroom and his mom. (He had another mother close by, but mother in the bathroom trumps mother in the bedroom.) I got out and grabbed a towel and saw a folded note being pushed under the door.
I was apparently in the shower long enough for my five year old, distraught at being ignored as he knocked, had time to "write" me a note.
I hate to say it but it's true - locking the door was worth it - just for this note.

Happy Thanksgiving... or not?!

It is officially Thanksgiving day here in the Great White North. Thanksgiving in my mind is a time of family and friends gathering to enjoy one another's company and to play football outside in the cool fall air.
We have a family tradition at Thanksgiving where we pass a bowl of uncooked rice at the supper table and every person takes some grains. Then we go around and say what we are thankful for - one item of gratitude for each grain of rice. A few years ago my brother and his wife came to us for Thanksgiving. She was unfamiliar with the tradition and when the bowl passed around we told her to take a handful - and she did. I still laugh to think about it. We made her talk about what she was grateful for all night long!!
For the last ten years, Thanksgiving for me meant all day at work cooking for the student's who are staying in Residence over the long weekend. Some years I had help, other years I did it alone.
This year there was just us, no all day cooking for students, no family visiting or trips to see anyone. Not even my old friend Eddie was around this year to join us for our Thanksgiving meal.
Shel and I are both working full time right now. We have managed to arrange our schedules so that one of us is always at home while the other is at work and we have saved the cost of daycare that way - and one of us has been able to be with kids at all times which is important to us.
Unfortunately it also means that we are a wee bit on the ragged side. We are like ships passing in the night. We started to write in a journal for each other so that one could get home and read what the other had done/was doing - but we are so darn tired we haven't kept it up. (and to be honest we aren't getting much done in the home hours anyway!)
Our Turkey dinner today ended up being.... I don't actually know because I had to come to work for 3 pm... but I do know that we both forgot to take the turkey out of the freezer last night until LATE LATE LATE and so it was not thawed out and able to be cooked today.
We haven't exactly cancelled Thanksgiving, we are just postponing it. I think tomorrow night we will all be home and can eat together. Having said that I am not 100 percent certain! I have to check the calendar.  have to check the calendar multiple times a day to make certain that everyone is where they are supposed to be, with what they need (I have only missed a swim suit once).  I do happen to know that today is Monday but that's because it's a holiday and I know the kids were SUPPOSED to go to school today but didn't. And no - we didn't go out to the wait for the bus this morning, but I could totally see why you might think that we would.
Since this is a VERY non-traditional Thanksgiving for us you might believe that I am not thinking about gratitude. You would be wrong. It is forefront in my mind. I am grateful for SO MANY THINGS. Here are some of the things I am happy to share with you that I am grateful for.
1. I am grateful for the people in my life. I am grateful for my spouse, for my mom, for my aunt, for my siblings, for my Max, My CJ, and my littles. I am grateful for my nieces and nephews and in-laws. (yup it's in print). I am grateful for our neighbours, I am grateful for our friends. I am grateful for our family doctor!
2. I am grateful for to have the means and opportunity to provide for my family.
3. I am grateful for the methods of communication which keep me in contact with my friends and family who are far away but a HUGE support to me.
4. I am grateful for my health.
5. I am grateful for Canadian Citizenship.
6. I am grateful for my thesis advisor who is STILL working with me to finish my degree.
7. I am grateful for our kids caseworker who has been a huge advocate and support for us.


I hope there is something for you to be grateful for tonight.