Through the Forest, I see the Trees: Grateful!

It's 4 am and I'm still not sleeping, are you? My mind is racing so I thought I would jot down what's going through my mind. I hope there is a bit of semblance as I type those thoughts out. I'd like to write what I am thankful for and share it. 

I lost my best friend this year, my mom but I also gained a granddaughter who I can only hope will love me even half as much as I love her. I have two grandsons who I love with all my heart but they don't live near us. I haven't been able to be an active part of their lives as I'm able to be with my new granddaughter because of the distance factor. I am thankful, however, that they are thriving, they have good parents and we do get to see them 2-3 times per year.  

I will be forever grateful for my children who've grown into loving and compassionate adults. My daughter has a wonderful husband who puts her and the baby first and she reciprocates because it comes naturally- love will do that to you!  Our little granddaughter is so content and happy which makes me smile more too! My son and his wife also have a very deep relationship and everything they do is on a 50/50 basis, it works for them. I admire my son because he works hard but takes parenting just as serious. My son cooks dinner, does the nighttime routine and still finds ways to pamper my daughter in law out of love, not guilt.  Both of my grandsons,  ages 3 and 5 have learned to ski- great relationship building! Thanks to technology we are able to keep in touch via skype or google hangouts. My grandchildren have reminded me in a sense that I can allow the child within me to come out and play too. Kids love light-heartedness, laughter, and unconditional love. I don't have to play the role of disciplinarian anymore because my children do that well. I can't say what a relief it is knowing you can finally reap the rewards of raising your own children. 

My husband and I met when we were 15 and 16 years old. I'm not going to lie, we were young and faced many trials over the years. We married when I was 21 and I decided at age 22 I wanted to have a baby. It was quite common in the 80's to have children at a much younger age, I think that mindset has changed today. I thought I was so grown up when I decided I wanted a baby but when I look at the Millennial generation, I have to admire them because they do think things through, they plan ahead, and they obviously mastered the idea that it's healthier to wait to have children when they know they are a bit more financially stable and mature. Because both of my children are Millennials, I've learned a lot from THEM.  It's always good to keep an open mind as we grow older because we can all learn from each other and we develop a relationship of mutual respect. 

I'm also very thankful for my husband who works relentlessly to provide for us. At a time when it wasn't popular to be a 'stay at home mom,' my husband supported my wishes and we don't regret it at all. I used to have people (women) say to me, "it must be nice to stay home and not have to work," which not only infuriated me but made me feel as though  I wasn't doing enough. My response back was always- "The grass is never greener on the other side." We made a logistical decision knowing we'd take a major loss in income. If I had a chance for a do-over, I'd do it all again. We were happy, our kids were happy and we found ways to entertain not only our children but ourselves as well on a limited income. Because our income was limited, we found many places to take our children on day trips and they weren't afforded the newest gadgets (technology) when it rolled out because we couldn't afford it. I always felt bad that we seemed to be keeping them 2 steps behind, but in hindsight- it gave us all quality time together.  No regrets and believe me, they made up for it when they became adults.  I see a trend, though, both of my kids are making sure their children are experiencing the outside world instead of becoming addicted to technology devices at such a young age. Obviously, my granddaughter is way too young to feel she's missing out on technology and by the time she is introduced to it, she will value life more. How do I know this: because her parents spend a lot of time outdoors and not on social media themselves very much. 

My son's job requires him to spend a lot of time on Social Media and he gets burned out. When his day is done, it's family time. Or is it 'hammer time?!"  I think many millennials are able to find balance and turn all their devices off once the work day is over, again, something we can learn from. 

I want to end this by saying I'm very thankful for the friendships I've forged thanks to beBee! I had over 500 connections on Linkedin, yet, I only interacted with a few. beBee has afforded me the opportunity to meet others genuinely and develop new relationships that are on a much deeper level. My relationships are in tune to beBee's mission statement- we connected and formed deeper relationships thanks to common interests.  beBee not only affords all of us to connect with like-minded individuals but offers protection that I've never seen on Social Media. I still enjoy the fact that Javier Carmara interacts with his user base. Javier doesn't miss a thing! In today's world where Social Media can be very frustrating and even dangerous, we can all be assured that many eyes are watching out for us on beBee!  

Please share what you are thankful for. Lets keep this going... it's uplifting to read positive articles considering our State of Affairs at the moment. So, tell me, what you are thankful for! 

Photos courtsey of Lisa Gallagher & beBee

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