…little things that fill me with such gratitude.
If you know me, you know I am perpetually annoyed because the world seems filled with people lacking common sense, and I run into every single one of those people each time I leave the house. If you know me, you also know that this means I work overtime reminding myself not to allow those feelings to overshadow all the good in my life.
And trust me when I say there is so much good. I don’t know what I did to find myself so blessed with such goodness, but I’m glad I did it. Being surrounded by people who love me and I love back equally, living such a beautiful life, and getting to experience so much beauty with people who fill my cup on a daily basis is a gift.
Not even all the idiots who meander in the left lane can make me forget that life is such a gift, and I am so thankful for each and every moment.
One: Being Able to Bother My Husband Whenever I Want
“Don’t you two get tired of each other?” is a commonly asked question we face because 1 -we’ve spent like 95% of our time together since we began dating almost 25 years ago and 2 – my husband has worked from home for over a decade now, which means we are quite literally together 24/7.
The short answer is no. The more complex answer is that he tends to take on the volume of whomever it is he’s on the phone with, and that oftentimes trickles out of his office and into the rest of the house and interrupts things like my cleaning concerts or reading or when I’m at my computer writing…and that’s really annoying. But if he went to an actual office every day, I’m not sure we’d handle that well. We just like being together.
And that is something I am so grateful for. The fact that I can follow him around the house like the pup anytime I want. That I can go sit down in the chair he bought just for me in his office and share useless information and random stories or that we can go grab lunch on a whim. So thankful.
Two: My Kids
I shouldn’t get myself started, but here we go. I am the proudest, most awestruck mom in the world. Four great kids? Four successful kids? Four funny, intelligent, witty, sweet kids? I cannot even believe that they are mine. I am so proud of all of their accomplishments and everything they are. I am proud of the people they are, and I am so, so grateful they are mine.
Three: Quiet Mornings
I’ve never had them before, but I have them now. And I have them now because Addy drives herself and because the twins and Ava have the same school schedule, so Craig takes them to school in the mornings. He certainly doesn’t have to do that, but he loves it. He loves that time in the car with them each morning. Even though I’m the stay-at-home mom and he’s the one who sits at his desk at 8 am every morning, he is the one who gets everyone ready in the morning and takes them to school.
All I do is get out of bed to find my sweet husband holding my already-poured cup of coffee when I walk into the family room, kiss the kids and wish them well for the day, and sit down and enjoy all three cups of my coffee in absolute peace and quiet.
I do not take that for granted.
Four: The Slow Moments
We don’t get many of them, but the ones we do get are the best. The movie nights. Cooking together. Pool days in our own home. Game nights. Puzzles as a family. Those moments are priceless, and I am filled with gratitude when I am fortunate enough to experience them with the people I love the most.
Tiffany Raiford 