How about something...nice

I like to rant.  It makes me feel better.  If I sit back too often and soak in the beauty of things, I feel like I'm getting comfortable, lazy,  complacent, and compliant.  But, I must, for a moment look at the beautiful.

I've never been so happy in my life.

I mean, really, look at my life!

I reached my education and career goals.  I married an amazing man who loves me most of the time.  I'm relatively rich, I have an amazing dog, a great house, I'm debt free (except for the great house), I'm healthy, and look in the room across the hall:  there sleeps a beautiful baby girl.

Is this MY life?

In creeps the thoughts of the people starving and diseased all over the world -- and, let's be honest, all around me here in this part of the world too.

But, let me push that thought aside for one night to offer my gratitude to not only the universe, but to the people in my life who helped me get here.  This list is not even close to exhausted:

Thank you to:
My parents for slipping up and creating me, then choosing to parent me.  For shaping me, feeding me, changing my diapers, listening to me scream, and then all the rest that followed ...

My brother for suffering your childhood with me, and for surviving it.

My childhood friends who taught me (in sometimes painful ways) what the world is like outside my home.

My extended family for offering beds, love, food, fun, and positive examples of all sorts of different family lives.

My friends who helped me survive all these years of school and work and the roller coaster that is my life.  I'm particularly thankful for the change of long distance telephone service in the past 15 years.  Without it, I may have lost many of my best friends.

My Perry cousins.  For long talks, great travel, CONSTANT support, love, laughs, drunks, sobers, educations, book discussions, tv show discussions, music concerts, long drives, parenting advice, marital counseling, friendship, friendship, love.

My husband who seems to know me better than I know myself.  Who wanted a baby and was willing to wait until I wanted one too.  Who balances me, parents my child, works too hard to give us most of our material stuff, let's me be the risk taker, and loves me.

And Zi.  Thank you for letting me in.  For all the years to come, and for existing.

Thanks, universe, for letting me make it this far to see all of this.