Thankful Thursday

My thankful Thursday this week is dedicated to my Mom & Dad. I've been so blessed with wonderful parents! This picture above is from sometime during my college years (yes, I was a lot skinnier then) and is one of my favorites:) My parents are incredibly positive people and are surely the source of my incurable optimism. They've been such a strong source of encouragement and support throughout my life, and have always helped me to follow my dreams. Being a mom now has opened my eyes so much about the importance of the role of Godly parents, and I only wish I had realized sooner how incredibly blessed I was!

At the beginning of our adoption journey, Mom & Dad were watching us cautiously as we began our adventure into unchartered territory. But it didn't take them long to hop on board for the ride, and Mom's now officially going to be one of our travelmates to China! It gives me goosebumps to see them proudly displaying Maia's pictures at their offices and all over their house, right alongside the pictures of Tristan & Nicky! I know not every family shares in the anticipation of an adoption as our family does, and so I feel even more blessed to have Mom & Dad by my side:)

Mom & Dad have walked with me faithfully through so many of my "big" life experiences, and have always been right there at a moment's notice! My mom has been called in "for duty" more times than we could probably count over the past six years, and never once have I ever heard her complain:) She came to my rescue when I became really sick during and after my pregnancy with Peanut. In fact, she took us in for three weeks after Peanut was born, and spent lots of long nights awake caring for me and for my Peanut with the patience of a saint! Funny thing is that I know she would do it all over again in an instant, although I PROMISE that we aren't planning on having anymore babies from the belly!! (You can breath now, Mom). In all seriousness, I've never met anyone who was so willing and happy to sacrifice her time and energy to take care of someone else. Again, I am so very blessed!

As for my Dad, he's always been the strong, silent type. Dad's been the rock that's held us together, the one who waits until the storms have calmed before he offers his famous words of wisdom. I remember Dad always saying "You can become anything you want to be, girls." Wow. Those powerful words still stick in my mind. And I still believe them! I still look at those mountains ahead of me and think "I can climb them". And I know it's because of that voice in my mind that I heard all those years. There's nothing more powerful than the words of a Dad to his daughter. I really believe that.

So today I want to honor my parents and thank them for their generosity, their sacrifices, their encouragement. I want to say that it all did matter. It all does matter. And I am so very grateful.