Thirty Days of Thanks

It's November!!!  Officially entering into my absolute favorite time of year-Thanksgiving/Christmas-time.  Already on the edge of my seat, ready to put up my holiday decor the day after Thanksgiving!  Yes, I am one of *those* people :-)

So, I got this idea for "Thirty Days of Thanks" over at my friend Tara's blog, A Tale of Two Maples.  Wonderful idea.  Giving thanks is so important.  In fact, one of my favorite quotes is, "if the only prayer you ever say is 'thank you,' that will be enough."  Great one, courtesy of Oprah.  At one time in my life I kept a gratitude journal-this will be just like that-but online for the world to read.  Each day in November I will post something I am thankful for.

To kick things off today...this is a post I have been wanting to make for a while now...giving thanks to my amazing M-O-M!

My mom has been in Albuquerque this past month, and just headed back to Texas yesterday afternoon.  She was also here for the birth of our daughter and the 8 weeks following (the hardest weeks of my life).  After becoming a mother myself, I have a new and very deep appreciation and love for my mom now.  Incomprehensible.  Inexplicable.  I think it is probably impossible for anyone to put into words how they feel about their mother.  It is part of that cool connectedness of life, and part of life's unexplainable 'magic.'  And, since the birth of beautiful Harper, I have never been more thankful for her.  I feel that she has pulled me through some really hard times these past few months.  I could literally go on and on...but here are some recent highlights:

--On the third day after Harper was born, we had THE unforgettable night...THE night of inconsolable crying from my precious, fragile newborn.  I was, of course, sleep deprived and distraught beyond belief.  Harper's cries were unbearable for me in my mental state.  I literally cried in my mom's arms while Josh took care of the baby.  I don't know how I would have coped without her there at that moment.  She "came to the rescue" countless times in those first few weeks/months actually.  ((Well, not just the last few months, but always!))

--On a less serious note, my mom makes the best damn french toast on the planet!  She makes this for Josh and I every time she visits these days.  That perfectly crispy, thick, egg-soaked carb delicacy made by my mom has also pulled Josh and I through some hard times lately ;-D  Really, though.  Yum.

--SHOWERS!!!!  Whenever my mom visits, I get to partake in a luxury not included in the blueprints of motherhood-showering!  Okay, so I DO get to shower daily without her here, but it's seriously a five minute in-and-out.  While she was here the past month, I got to actually ENJOY my shower every day. I usually only get to do this on the weekends when the hubs is around, so I soaked in the comfort and cleansing of EVERY shower while she was here.  The little things like this really do matter.

--Yoga!  Thanks to my mom's willingness to babysit our lil babe, I was able to get my practice back finally.  My mom made it a priority for herself to ensure that I got back to yoga frequently while she was here.  She even sacrificed her OWN practice to do this.  She knows from experience how GOOD this bikram yoga makes you feel, so she felt that it was imperative that I started to go consistently.  She was right!  And now that I'm in the habit, I even went to the dreaded 6:30 class this evening!  It's late...but it's worth it!  Thanks for the push and encouragement, Mom.

Well, like I said, I could go on and on.  I am SO grateful that my mom is MY mom!  I love her, love her, love her and really think she is the best.  She has taught me everything in life.  She makes me laugh and laugh.  She is my confidant.  My role model.  My best friend foreverrrr!

Thank you.