Oh, Happy Day of Giving Thanks! It’s a beautiful, chilly morning and I woke up with gratefulness in my heart and “Thank You” on my lips. It’s no secret that I believe that God is Love and the author of all things beautiful. Everything wonderful in my world flows directly from Him. And so on this Thanksgiving Day, I thought I’d share 13 things that I’m thankful for.

1. Mr. Papillon – The hubby and I have been together since ’99, married since ’04. We’ve been through some wonderful times and some absolutely horrible times. But through it all, God saw fit to keep our family in tact and bring us even closer than when we first began. My husband is a ridiculously wonderful father and loves his babies with everything in him. He works hard to provide for us, with never a complaint. And when the time comes for me to step outside these four walls to follow my dream, he’s always there, taking care of home until I return. That means the world to me, and I’m forever grateful for him.

4/10/04

 2. My Tiny Tribe – My mini Mama and my three boys provide me with so much laughter & love, frustration & confusion, hugs & kisses, hits & misses. We’re learning and growing together. They’ve played such a big role in who I am. My Saja has taught me how to be gentle & kind. Jaden has taught me how to be patient & give unconditional love. Nikko has taught me to always keep a song on my lips and my heart within reach. And my Zion has taught me to have unwavering faith and to recognize God in the storms of life. My world is bright everyday because of my 4 little stars. I love them with all my heart.

3. The Parentals – I have the privilege of being born into a family that openly showed love to each other. To this day, I can’t go without a hug and “I love you” without feeling like something’s missing. Love is everything to me. It was planted way back when by my Mama & Pop. No matter the physical or financial circumstance, we NEVER lacked love. If you could deposit love into the bank, we would’ve been the wealthiest family on earth. And dollars can’t compare to that. My folks have been married for 40 years. I’m so grateful for their example of perseverance and commitment. They laugh, they fuss, they work & they play. Their marriage, their union, their partnership…it’s a beautiful thing.

My Mama & Pop

 4. My Siblings – I used to say that I had four parents instead of two parents & two siblings. I’m “the baby” of the family, with 4.5 years between me & my sister, and 6.5 years between me & my brother. I guess they figured they were grown by the time I came around, so they decided to give my folks a hand in the strictness department. In all seriousness, no matter how indifferent, how lonely, how difficult the world outside may have been, there was always safety, care & companionship in the company of my siblings. I remember cops & robbers, cowboys & indians, tag and hide & seek. Laughing til our sides hurt & imagining until our creativity begged for a rest. I remember layering up & playing in the snow until our fingers were numb. Making “watercress” sandwiches and rushing to clean the house when we knew Mama was on her way home from work. My childhood was so special and I thank my siblings for it. Now that we’ve grown up, our relationships have evolved, but the thing that hasn’t changed is the laughter and the fact that we have lifelong friends in each other.

5. Papillon – I am so grateful to have found a profession that I love. I don’t have to worry about the “Sunday Blues” anymore…you know that feeling you get onSunday afternoon because you can’t stand the thought of going to work in the morning? Yeah, that one. That’s a feeling of the past for me because now, I have a creative outlet that allows me to be myself and focus on the things that are important in my life.

6. My Papillon Family – For me, being able to meet you and get a glimpse into your life, it makes “working” a pleasure. I can honestly say that everyone of my clients, and everyone that has connected with Papillon on Facebook or the blog has been a gift to me. I have come to know some truly wonderful people over the past couple of years.

7. Health – This past week has been a trial as far as health is concerned. My baby has been sick with a “touch” of pneumonia and RSV (a respiratory virus). The illnesses robbed him of his smile, his giggle and his playfulness. But today, I see the smile returning. His silly personality is waking up and I’m reminded of all the little things that make me love him as much as I do. Today, I’m thankful for the health of my family and friends. And for those that are experiencing illness, I’m thankful that your healing is just around the corner.

Mr. Zion sitting through a breathing treatment. 11/18/11

 8. Provision – There are many people around us who don’t have enough…enough food, enough money, enough love, enough hope. There are those without jobs, those without family, those without a home, those without a dream. On this Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful for provision. I am thankful that I have enough. I am thankful that even when I don’t know how I’m going to make it, I always seem to…somehow. And more than that, I’m thankful that I can give of my “enough” to someone who is lacking.

9. Peace – There was a time when I felt imprisoned by my circumstances. I felt like I had no choice but to sit and watch my life unfold…like I had no say in the matter. I felt bound and gagged, helpless.

2008 – The year of the biggest storm in my life

Now, I am grateful to be able to say that I have an enormous amount of peace. Yes, my circumstances have changed, but even when times get rocky, there is still this undercurrent of peace that allows me to ride out the storm with a hopeful expectation of calmer times.

10. Laughter – They say that laughter is the best medicine. I think, whoever “they” are, are on to something. The best memories that I have are replayed with a soundtrack of laughter. And Lord knows I lost track of exactly what we were cracking up about, but I can still remember the feeling of my sides and my cheeks hurting from laughing so long and so hard. Few feelings top that in my book.

My beautiful sister doing what she does best.

11. True Autumn – Mmmkay, so I’m down here in sunny Texas, land of 70 degree Novembers, and it makes me miss the Midwest. Autumn is my most favorite season, with its brisk temperatures, its beautiful warm colors displayed on the trees, the wind whipping the leaves around in colorful swirls across the urban landscape… Just the word by itself paints a picture of beauty and fond memories for me. But I won’t complain about the trees in Texas either being green or brown, or the likelihood that my boots will be collecting dust yet again. Instead, I will think on those beautiful seasons that color my memory and be thankful that they are a part of me.

12. Love – I know I’ve probably said it so much that your ears are numb to it by now, but in my world, God is Love, and Love is Life to me. It is by love my tiny world revolves. The love of God towards me allows me to love and receive the love of others. That love enables me to see past my own agenda and think about the best interest of those around me. What a beautiful place the world would be if we were all concerned about what was best for those around us.

13. Life – Waking up each morning, breathing in and out, opening my eyes to see the beauty of the creation around me, feeling the kisses and warm embraces of my family, opening my mouth to speak kind words to others, allowing my creativity to lead me in my endeavors…all of this is life. And I’m so grateful to be able to experience this crazy, beautiful ride.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Live in Love,

}:{ Keda }:{