Thankful

Every night before I go to bed, I say my prayers and thank God for Mike, the Bean, my family and my friends. But this year at Thanksgiving, I feel even more blessed than usual. I think it's my heightened awareness of family and how loved I really am. One of the things that has impacted my pregnancy the most is my mom's comment that she can't wait until I give birth to my baby, because then I'll know how much she loves me. I think about that statement every day, and it overwhelms my heart. I know how much I love this baby already, and when I think about how much more I'll love it when I can hold it and watch it grow, it gives me such a different perspective on how much mom and dad have always loved me. Don't get me wrong, I have always known how much I'm loved. It's in every action and word they've spoken all my life. But to see it from the viewpoint of a parent...well, I can't even put into words the joy and warmth and comfort that comes from knowing the depth of love they have for me. On Thanksgiving, I want my parents to know how much I have always felt their love and that it has been the defining source of inspiration for my life. I also want them to know that not only do I love them more than I could ever express, but that because of them, my little Bean will bask in the tradition of love and happiness they gave to me.