There Just so Much to be Thankful for!

There is so much in my life that I am thankful for and I'm blessed to include my health as one of them.

Last week I had a fellow blogger, Heather, reach out to me to ask that I share a little bit of her story and something I am thankful for.

Heather is an 8 year survivor of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer you can get from the exposure to asbestos in the home or workplace. When Heather was diagnosed was only 36 years old, had just given birth to her daughter, and was given about 15 months to live. If you read about mesothelioma that is usually the life expectancy given to those diagnosed. However, with a brand new daughter and an amazing support system between her family and team of doctors Heather knew that giving up and letting this illness beat her was just not an option. She has beaten the odds by leaps and bounds, and continues to spread the knowledge of this disease to others in hopes they will not give up either because 'With Hope, the Odds don't Matter." 

Heather explained that if there is one thing that being diagnosed with cancer has taught her it's to value life and everything in it. This time of year is a difficult reminder for her as she was diagnosed in November those 8 years ago, but it's also that time of year that most of us are being reminded to be thankful for everything we have. Heather made it a goal one year to list something she was thankful for everyday in December, but this year she has taken the idea out to the blogosphere to include other bloggers.  That is where I come in and get to share something I am thankful for.

I have so much to be thankful for but I believe the most important piece are my family and friends. If I had nothing in this life but this amazing support system I would still consider myself to be an extremely blessed person

My family, Kevin, and his family have taught me so much about life and love. Everything from learning how to ride a bike to being part of something so much bigger than yourself. My admiration for so many of my family members continues to grow and I only hope to be half of the person that so many of them are. The beauty of family is that we all bring something a little different to the table, but share the same unconditional love that bonds us forever.

Then of course there are my friends. I've always been blessed to have a very solid group of friends. I had an unwavering group of girl friends in high school that stuck together through thick and thin. I find that to be rare because usually there is some kind of drama that will tear a group apart but that never seemed to happen with us. We were there for each other and I feel very blessed to say that we still have this unbreakable bond today.

Then we have my group of friends from college and have carried through to this day. These friends have become part of my family. We have been there for each other in ways you would believe and expect your family to be there for. They are a group that has pushed me to be a better person overall. Even Kev and I's parents have comment on how blessed we are to have such a good, strong, supportive group of friends. They've helped us create this "home away from home" as we transitioned from high school to college, and then college to what I like to call "real life" and without them I'd be lost. 

It's an amazing feeling knowing that I have all of these people in my life that love and support me. I know that no matter what happens I'll have others to rejoice in my accomplishments and pick me back up when I fail.

What are you most thankful for?

Happy Thursday!