Thankfulness: Week 2

1. David: I'm thankful for my brother-in-law David. I appreciate that he treats Sheila so well and that she enjoys spending time with him. I'm grateful that he's been willing to get to know me, spends a lot of time with me when he and Sheila come to visit me, and that he tries to help me or make life more enjoyable for me whenever he can. I appreciate the joy that he's brought into Sheila's life especially considering that Sheila's happiness is obviously very important to me as her older brother.

2. Grandparents: I'm thankful for my grandparents. I appreciate my stepgrandma. The first time I went to New Mexico she was willing to explain to me the history of New Mexico which has made it more of an interesting place to visit and more enjoyable to be able to live in Las Cruces for a few months in the winter.

I mentioned to my stepmom that I hadn't seen a horned frog before and a few days later a horned frog statue arrived in the mail from my stepgrandma so that I can see one each day. I'm grateful that she doesn't need a special occasion, such as my birthday, to brighten my day like that or to make life more interesting for me somehow.

My Grandpa Simpson always encouraged me to learn to play the harmonica, keep a journal daily, or to try to find some hidden talent that I don't know that I have. He'd give me several suggestions for hobbies that I might enjoy doing as well. He wasn't afraid to experience new things to find out which activities he enjoyed the most in his life. I'm thankful for his sense of humor and how he'd work very hard, but not take life so seriously that it stopped being enjoyable. I'll always be very appreciative to my grandpa for teaching me to learn more about the world and that it's important to live my life to the fullest.

My Grandma Simpson has taught me several things about my ancestors and has given me more appreciation for them. When I was younger, with a very limited attention span, it seemed a bit more boring to hear those stories than it is now but I'm grateful that she's always taken the time to have those conversations with me.

She also put a lot of effort into making a quilt for me when I earned the Eagle Scout Award. I remember that it was a very good feeling to know that my grandma cared that much about me and was proud of me for working hard to accomplish something. I think it was good a life lesson for me as well to realize that I should still be willing to work hard even when I'm not recognized or rewarded for it as much.

My Grandpa Schwab helped to teach me the value of hard work. It seemed like he never made excuses to avoid going to work unless he had a legitimate reason not to work. Working hard to help to provide for his family was always a very high priority for him which I have a lot of respect for. It took quite a bit to impress him and so when he'd compliment me it felt like he thought I'd actually earned the compliment which meant quite a bit more than it might have otherwise.

My Grandma Schwab has taught me a lot about generosity. If she saw me playing quite a bit with a certain toy, that was exclusively available at my her house it seemed, she always would offer to let me take it home for awhile if I wanted to. I'd end up drawing things on paper when I visited my grandparents as well. She was always willing to come over and look at the "impressive" animals I drew that were actually just stick figures that looked exactly the same. I've never been a very creative person and so I appreciate how she always encouraged my attempts to be more creative while I was younger.

3. My Disability: It seems strange to say. However, I am thankful for the disability that I have. I vaguely remember when I was able to walk and usually taking the ability to walk for granted while I was younger. I'm grateful for the opportunities this disability's provided me to see how willing my friends and family have been to help me when I've needed them to. I think that I consider more people as my best friends, rather than just good friends, than I may have otherwise due their consistent selflessness or kindness to me.

4. Music: I'm thankful for music that has an uplifting message and that listening to certain songs can improve my mood or help me to not take life so seriously at times. I'm thankful that music has enhanced my enjoyment of life in several ways. I appreciate the wonderful memories that listening to certain songs brings back into my mind as well.



5. Veterans Day: Veterans Day was this week and I'm certainly thankful for all of the military veterans that have helped to keep this country free. As much as I love this country I don't know if I'd be willing to potentially die to help protect the important freedoms that we enjoy in this country. However, I am grateful for all of the freedom that I'm able to enjoy on a daily basis.