A New Meaning to Thankful

I year ago I sat here and wrote about how I am Thankful for my health and family. To get a true understanding of what follows, check out that post here.

I hate to be repetitive, but this year I am once again thankful for my health and family. The reasons are very different.

Last year my health was in steep decline. I was dying. Less than two months after that post though, I got the call from the Transplant Center that saved my life. Now here I am. The same person in the same place. Only I'm not.

I am not taking my current good health for granted. I am making sure that I make the best of it. I know what is is like to be beaten down by a disease so badly, the thought of walking to the kitchen would mean I would have ben done for the day. Now, I am contemplating icing down my legs after doing too much hiking the last few days. But if it came down to it, if there was a mountain the climb today, I would do it.

I have let far less opportunities pass me by the last year. It has resulted is some bumps and bruises, some late nights followed very quickly by early mornings, and "I can't believe what I am seeing" moments. At the same time, the results have created more memories, laughs and "I will never forget this" moments than years prior combined.

Yes, I am thankful for my health. And I hope to never forget it.

Then there is my family. What a difference a year make. That word alone has taken on a different meaning. It still includes all those friends and family that have stood by our side over the years, but now it means so much more.

It means the tiny little guy, playing on his mat in front of me as I type, is now my family. Every sound he coos, every smile he makes, every moment we share, is a culmination of a dream. I am thankful that all the heartache and pain we had to experience to get to this point are now worth it.

This Thanksgiving Dinner, as we sit down as a family for the first time, some of those memories of heartache will come back I am sure. But they will be overcome by the wonderful new memories that we have already created, and thoughts of thousands of more to come.

We can move forward now, especially considering the fact that as of yesterday morning, the adoption has been finalized, complete with lawyers, judges and birth certificates.

More then ever before, we truly are Thankful on this day.

We hope that all of you happy, healthy and especially grateful Thanksgiving Day!