Thankfulness Challenge - Day 3

Family ….  is the first group that shapes your beliefs, your thoughts, and your personality. Sometimes this can be a negative thing or a positive thing depending on the family you are given. If you are lucky you end up with parents who love, protect, and take care of you. That what I have. My parents have always taught me the things I need to know to survive in this world. My father can literally fix anything, from plumbing (tho that’s not his strong suit) to electrical work around the house, to computers and cars, he’s literally a jack of all trades kind of guy and he’s master of many of those trades too. He is and was a hard worker (now retired). It wasn’t uncommon for him to work late into the night and sometimes on weekends but he NEVER missed a ballgame, a dance recital, a tennis match and most Volleyball games. When he wasn’t working at the office he was working around our home, fixing things, cleaning things, doing the yard, and we were often following him around watching him work or helping. More often than not I was the “gofer” as in Go fer this and go fer that … and half the time I brought back the wrong tool but he always made it work.

My mom can literally do anything she sets her mind to. She has mastered crochet and has recently taught herself to knit from a book. She can cook anything and it always tastes better when she fixes it than when someone else cooks the same thing, with the same ingredients, and the same equipment. Don’t ask me how, it just is. She’s recently gotten an embroidery machine and spends most of her time in her sewing room creating these awesome gifts for friends and family as their birthday or anniversary comes around. 

My parents were the kind that didn’t need to raise their voices to get a point across tho sometimes the voice was raised in fear or anger, the look of disappointment was enough to get us in line, most of the time.

They say you can’t choose your family but that’s not necessarily true. Sure we have no say on who our parents are and how our siblings affect life we are basically born and what happens will happen. However as we go through life we learn that our parents include anyone usually of an older age who teaches us something, loves us or cares for us in anyway. For me my extended family includes Golden’s family. From day 1 her parents have treated me like their third kid. They worry about me, they feed me, they buy me things I need or things that will make me smile. I had the flu last year on my birthday and Golden’s mom checked on me daily and sent me get well cards from Golden’s nieces to make me smile. Golden’s parents always take me to dinner when I come around and even though I have a job and want to pay them back they won’t let me. One time Golden her mom and I went to the beach for vacation and went to dinner one night at a seafood place. I went to the bathroom and hunted our waitress down and paid the bill without them knowing. It was a great weekend and I wanted to pay them back for it and the next morning I woke up with money in my purse. Golden’s dad heard me pull into her yard one day and the next day he was under my car checking it out to make sure it would be ok for my 4.5 hour drive home. I didn't have to ask he just did it cause it was something he would have done for Golden.

They are as special to me as my own family because they are there when they don’t necessarily have to be. Which is really what family is to me, people who are there when you need them without necessarily asking for them to be there. So on Day 3 I’m thankful for all the families in my life those that were given to me and those I picked. This time of year is for family may your family gatherings include those that share your blood and those that don’t but especially those that share your love. Take a minute out of your busy day to talk to those family members who might not be around in a few years to ask those questions to. Don’t wait until it is too late, trust me cause the memories everyone has are a little different and you’ll never get the true story unless you get it from the horses mouth!

-Marcy (@beaslma)