Sunrises and gratitude.....

it is Easter morning and the sunrise was beautiful. not in the WOW, did you see that!! kind of way. but in the deep breath and long slow stretch kind of way. i am sitting here and realizing, once again, how lucky i am. i am so grateful for my life.

i am blessed with many things. i am surrounded by lovely objects and all the conveniences i could possibly want....and then some.... i have not one, but two incredible homes that are filled with , yet again, "things" that fill me with warm feelings when i see them because they elicit so many memories or i love the way they make our home warm and comfortable......

but the "things" i am most grateful for are the people in my life. people...what an odd word to encompass the real feelings and emotions encapsuled in each family member or each friend.

family...Mom, the woman i grew up with, always there for all of us...in a time when things were much simpler. now, with the changes in time, roles reversed, we all need understanding love and patience. i am so grateful that Roger came into our lives when he did. first a family friend, then a husband to Mom, then a father to us. an anchor for Mom to hold on to as her reality drifts and changes.

family...Dad, Sumner....what can i say...he was dad and today is his birthday. i have lots of memories, great memories. he lived hard and died too young. it is a reminder to take care of what has been given to us...it can all be taken away in a blink of an eye. a good man, he did his best as a dad...maybe not such a good husband sometimes...but that's another story. BUT (notice the big but) if not for Dad, our family would not be what it is.. for that i am eternally grateful.

family...Stephen, Michael, David, Elizabeth...what a privilege and blessing it is to have four such amazing sibs. i had always thought that my family was pretty much the norm. it wasn't until i got older and realized that what we had and have is incredible. Thanks for being who you are and bringing so much joy to my life. your families: Carolyn, Melanie, Jan, Colin, Maggie, Elizabeth, Kate, Shannon, Henry, Emma, Laci, Joe and Sam make our lives full.

family....when we were blessed with Roger, he brought David and Cynthia, aka Cincia my favorite traveling partner with him to add to our family. another brother and sister to share and laugh and cry with. David's family also grew to include Debbie, Ben, Geoffrey, Tim and Matt....and it still grows as each of them have added to the numbers and names and love....

family...Marty, my chosen family. an amazing person with whom i have chosen to love and live my life and raise our children. i am so grateful at what a blessed gateway that choice was...

family....Ryan Patrick and Kelly, two amazing, incredible, warm, loving, talented, intelligent, sensitive, insightful, beautiful inside and out...i could go on for hours...kids, no, adults....i am so blessed and filled with love and gratitude.

family...Betty and Marty, my second family for whom i am so grateful. i have always known how lucky i was to marry a loving man with a great family. some are not so lucky....

family....Pat and Mike were added to my brothers and sisters. Family occasions are always filled with lots of lively conversations....some arguments, some agreements...Jim keeps us on our toes. Shannon, now Elijah, Erin and Andrew have grown into amazing adults and I always enjoy being with them. with Mike gone, there is a hole that we fill with some incredible memories, and we have Sara and Jenna, both have grown into strong and wonderful women, and with us too infrequently now for my liking but there is always the memory of having them with us in our home as one family for a few years, something for which i am always grateful....and the there's Noah, he has grown up so fast...a wonderful young man..11 years have flown by...too fast..... i am grateful for any time we all can spend together.

family...there are so many more that i can't name them for fear of missing one...you are in my heart and i am grateful...

family....friends, another kind of family, the ones we choose...for where would we be without our friends?? i for one, would not have made it as well, through some of the highs and lows of life....if it not for friends...good friends...best friends....i am so grateful.... every day.

i don't want to go to that weepy, sappy place so i will take another deep breath...and long, slow stretch....and say thank you all for being a part of my life.

i am filled with gratitude every time i see a picture and i remember what caused me to want to capture that particular moment in time...and i smile.

i love you all!