On this month that we celebrate Thanksgiving, I cannot think of a better way to honor this holiday than to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives. I will not write for the next two weeks because I will be busy in Idaho visiting family and I don't write when I am away from home.
When I stop and really think about all the people who have made a difference in my life I am overwhelmed with how blessed I have been. From my ancestors who established a legacy for me to try and live up to, to my parents who brought me into this world and raised me with good values, to my family members, to my dear husband, to our children and their families, to my mentors, teachers, business associates, to our neighbors over the years and to my friends…my life has been blessed tremendously by these people and I am forever grateful to have them in my life.
As I read Timothy 1 and 2 last week I thought of you and how I am grateful for the example you set for me and for the things you teach me. I am grateful for your patience and forgiveness you extend to me when I fall short. I am grateful for your support and kindness when I need someone to lean on. I am grateful for your laughter and all the funny stories you tell, (the story of the towel in particular) puts a smile on my face each time I hear it. I can’t tell you enough the happiness you help bring into our lives. I am grateful to call each of you my family. I am grateful for the chance we had to visit abuela Nela twice since we moved to Buenos Aires.
As we have lived abroad, I am grateful for strangers that come into my life and teach me things through their example and who make me feel accepted, cared for, appreciated, understood, valued and loved in each area we have lived. I am grateful for the person who smiled at me as she passed me on the street today. I am grateful for the man who helped lift my suitcase into the overhead bin on my last flight from New York, when it was too heavy for me to do alone. I am grateful for the email I received from a woman at headquarters letting us know how much she appreciated what we have done to help her find good doctors since she is new in town, I am grateful for the person at the intersection who paused so Daniel could get in front of their car. Yes, I am thankful for every stranger who has impacted my life for the better because not only did they made me feel special, but they served as a reminder for me of the person I wanted to be to others.
Most of all, I am thankful for my Heavenly Father and for His son, Jesus Christ. I am thankful for their unconditional love and endless mercy. I am thankful for the challenges they have helped me get through and I am thankful for the blessings they have bestowed on my life. I am thankful to know that they are always there for me, even when I fall short and don’t deserve them, they are always still there, wanting the best for me and eager to bless me with the things I stand in need of in my life.
Celebrating the day of the dead a couple of days ago, reminded me of how life is fragile and we never know just how long our own time on this earth will extend. It is my hope that we would each take the opportunity this month to thank each person who makes a difference in our lives. But then it is my hope that we won’t wait another year to extend that thanks, but that we will all make an effort to do it on a regular basis so that if our own time on this earth were to come to an unexpected end, that we would be at peace knowing that we had expressed our gratitude and thanks to all of those who have made a difference in our lives.
Thank you so much to all of you for being a part of my life and for all you have done for me. I love looking at Instagram and watch what you and the kiddos are up to. I watch them over and over again. May the Lord bless each of you.
Con amor,
Vero
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