Thankful

I Am Thankful

11/21/12

Maybe it seems impossible to have gratitude,

Since my fairy tale life didn’t turn out quite right.

I’ve had to rewrite my little fairytale story

Like I’m doing tonight.

I am thankful for my Daddy,

Who must be the mom too.

He showed me unconditional love

Is the only love that’s true.

My Daddy links me to the love I’m most thankful for,

Though I cannot say I’ve always understood.

God and Jesus having eternal love for me,

No matter if I’m bad or good.

I am thankful for a marriage,

It was a huge part of my life.

I gained and lost so much,

By gaining and losing the title of a wife.

I am thankful for a second heartbreaking relationship,

As senseless as that may sound.

It was through that experience,

Two sweet girls, another culture and a lost life I found.

I am thankful for times of silence,

When no words need to be spoken.

An appreciation of connecting with loving eyes,

The talkative me knows, silence can heal what is broken.

I am thankful for my children,

Many wounds their births have healed.

Their beautiful faces are heaven to me,

A newfound love they have revealed.

I am thankful for my high school friend,

And the son he shared with me.

My Small Soldier may be gone from this earth,

But a Fairy Godmother I could be.

I am thankful for my dearest friend,

Yin and Yang, that’s who we are.

No matter the distance between us,

From my heart, she is never far.

Then, there is a mother and a grandmother,

Though not by blood or birth.

She’s taught us what family is,

And assured us of our worth.

A sister and an aunt,

A branch from the tree above.

No moment do I doubt her,

Her protective admiration and love.

The list could go on and on for days.

Family and friendships both weak and strong.

Blood is not always thicker than water,

When it comes to finding where you belong.

To be thankful for the sun setting,

Is to understand it will rise again.

To be thankful for rejection, abandonment or abuse,

Is to understand things don’t have to stay as they’ve been.

To be thankful for lost love,

Is to understand what’s lost can be found.

To be thankful a fairytale relationship ended,

Is to understand real life is not fairy tale bound.

To be thankful for sleepless nights,

Is to appreciate peacefully drifting to sleep.

To be thankful for paying a mortgage,

Is to appreciate a house to keep.

To be thankful for an ending

Is to understand a new beginning will start.

To be thankful for genuine love,

Is to understand someone’s heart.

To be thankful for a relationship you do not have,

Is to understand, one day you will.

To be thankful for the love you will give and receive,

Is to understand your wounds will heal.

To be thankful for a wrinkle or gray hair,

Is to understand wisdom comes with age.

To be thankful for a teenager,

Is to understand phases of childhood are merely a stage.

To be thankful for footprints on your windshield,

Is to understand she will be grown in the blink of an eye.

To be thankful for your children,

Is to understand they will make you cry.

To be thankful for dirty dishes

Is to understand there was food to eat.

To be thankful for a leader you don’t like,

Is to appreciate not sitting in that driver’s seat.

To be thankful for someone’s pain to end,

Is to understand you will see them on the other side.

To be thankful for forgiveness and redemption,

Is to understand, from God you cannot hide.

To be thankful for what seems bad,

Is the only way to truly appreciate what is good.

To be thankful for the opportunity to help a friend,

Is to understand that you could.

To be thankful for a person in your life,

Is to understand they can be gone tomorrow.

To be thankful for time spent together,

Is to understand eliminating possible regret and sorrow.

I re-evaluate from time to time,

To put things into perspective and make them clear.

I do this on a daily basis,

But especially this time of year.

In past years I haven’t been able to do this,

Resentment and pain hid the good from me.

The negative blinders made it look

As though there was only pain to see.

Again, another thing I am thankful for,

A fog that has lifted away.

This year I’m thankful I can see the blessings

On this Thanksgiving Day.

I’m thankful happiness is not a destination,

It’s a decision and choice to make.

My cup runneth over knowing a truth …

Love and good memories, no one can take.

© 2012 Kasi M. Bryon

Happing Thanksgiving