Gratitude Challenge, Day 8

Back on the wagon...

Send thank-you notes to five people who deserve a little recognition....

They're leaving on Saturday, so I couldn't risk mailing them, but I emailed my parents this morning. They count as #1 and #2. And my friend Dena, who met me for lunch, is #3. I joined her at the restaurant feeling wilted and blue and left at least 6" taller and feeling joyful. Friends just work that way, and it's a good thing!

#3 and #4 I haven't decided yet. But I'm getting there. Since this blog is as much for posterity as it is for transparency, I've excerpted the first two notes below.

Dear Nancy (Mom),

Thank you, Mom, for loving me like I was your own daughter, for filling up a void in my soul that had sat empty for a long time. Thank you for loving my children like they were your own flesh and blood, and smothering them with love, wisdom and fun...Thank you for bringing joy and laughter back in to Dad’s eyes. Thank you for the way you care for him and his household, for the way you honor him and respect him. Thank you for being his companion, partner and friend and ending the nightmare of loneliness he endured for so long.

You’ve only been in my life less than two years, but I can’t imagine our lives without you! God is so good.

*************************
Dear Dad,

Thank you for all the wisdom and love and patience you have showered on me for the last 36 years. Thank you for staying true to Mom even when she rejected you. Thank you for being such a wonderful example to my children of a godly husband! Thank you for choosing such wonderful, godly women as your partners in life – both the first time, and the second.

Thank you for introducing my sons to amazing opportunities like flying and yes, even bow-hunting and giving them wonderful memories for them to hold all their lives.

...you better be home in time to read them The Night Before Christmas. Promise?