Yes, yes... I know it's Friday! I started this post yesterday and then had to stop and forgot to come back and finish. Either way, today I want to celebrate a bit of thankfulness to my parents! They are amazing!!
Grrowing up it was just my mom and I. She had an amazing way of both showing love and commanding respect and obedience. She put a huge emphasis on education from the time I was a baby. I remember hearing my entire life about "when" I would go to college, not "if." She emphasized reading all the time and made sure that I knew how important it was to do well in school. She encouraged me to try new things and worked harder than I could have understood at the time to make sure that I could participate in as much as possible. Sometimes I feel bad because I know I didn't appreciate her sacrifices at the time; the immaturity of childhood didn't open my eyes to everything she did and gave up for me.
When I was in junior high my dad came into my life. Like every other blended family, there was a period of adjustment... but he has always treated me 100% like his daughter. I've never been a step-daughter or "Holly's daughter," I'm his daughter... and it's a title I'm proud to be able to carry. Over the past 6.5 years I see more and more characteristics of my dad in my husband, and it's something that makes me very happy! :P
Together, my parents always worked so hard for all of us. They made sure we had everything we needed to succeed, but also made sure that we had to work and earn the things we wanted. When I wanted to march Drum Corps, they made it happen so I could have that experience. When I wanted to go out of state for college, they worked extra hard so I would have that opportunity. They've always made sure I knew that they were proud of me, and as a result, I've always wanted to live my life in a way to maintain their pride in me.
I'm thankful for their support through deployments. I'm thankful for parents who watched Nick at least twice a week in the evenings so I could go to school while Jon was in Afghanistan the last 2 times. I'm thankful for parents who encouraged me during the hardest times alone and who were always there for me. I'm thankful for parents who remind me on a regular basis that I'm not a bad mom, but a mom who really always tries her best. I'm thankful for parents who are amazing and incredible to my husband... who is also not their son-in-law, but their son. It is so wonderful to know that my parents and my husband aren't at odds with eachother, but are close and have a great relationship. I'm thankful for parents who are amazing grandparents. My son (soon-to-be sonS) are so blessed to have grandparents who encourage whatever it is that interests them. I love the quote that says "Grandparents are people who, when they see you, make you believe that they've been waiting all day to see you and now that you're here, the day is complete." That's my parents and I know it makes Nick feel so special!
I know now that being a parent is hard. Every decision seems like a big one and knowing that you're shaping an entire life is a huge responsibility. I'm thankful for parents who took that responsibility seriously and raised me to be the woman I am: not a perfect woman, wife, or mom... but a woman who always tries her best and who never gives up!
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