Mostly Thankful and My "Hates" Are Few

Call me crazy...you certainly won't be the first but I am thankful we got this little demon. I am thankful that he dooky's in hard little balls that are easy to pick up off the floor with toilet paper.

 I am thankful that my three kids, ten other ones from the neighborhood and three previous dogs broke my house in...carpets, walls and furnishings. I never even painted our walls til about four years ago. I just left them standard builder's white until my sister came over and painted the house for me as a present a few years back.

She is an amazing painter and now I get to wipe dog slobber off  beautifully painted walls instead of using white out to cover crayon and marker scribblings.

I am thankful that I still have my humble little home. It's not a mansion but it is full of life and love and is almost  paid for.

I am thankful that my youngest child is a senior in high school and college bound with vigor and determination to change the world.

I am thankful I have survived raising three kids.

Things I hate:

Losing both my parents way too early. That about sums up what I hate.

Back to what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for having an excellent childhood. It was joyous and  filled with love and memories that will last until my mind begins to falter.

Now it's just me, my brother and sister left to carry on  the family name. My parents couldn't have left me in better hands. I was the baby in the family and have continued to be. Both my older Sib's still take care of me and I keep worrying they will finally block my number and sneak out of state...or country.

My only other hate is that kids are too spoiled these days...and guilty of doing that as well. I haven't had a lot of money  to spoil them with, but they are spoiled just the same. I guess I should feel lucky that I didn't have money  to spoil them with or else I would have a lot longer hate list.

I go to pick Massey up from school every day and kids are screaming out of the parking lot in brand new Mustangs, Chargers, BMW's and I've even seen a kid driving a Jag. None of them are driving safely and all trying to pass each other or pull around each other when they know it is a high school of 3,000 kids all released at once... For Pete's sake"Some body's gonna have to wait."

I was on the phone with my sister the other day when pulling into the parking lot to pick Massey up and told her I needed to get off the phone because a boy in  a big ole red neck truck with rebel flags flying from the back behind me was revving his engine and chomping at the bit to simply get around me only to wait in front of ten more cars. My sister said "What are you  thinking? Get out of his way, he has the rest of his life in front of him  and you're holding him  up."

 I guess my kids aren't as spoiled as most, but they are still spoiled. They missed having grandparents do it so I filled in.

 They also have an uncle (my brother) who is an excellent spoiler and makes me look like the bad guy which helps me reign them in and keep my sanity... what's left of it.

The photo above is Ziggy and Ham snoozing behind me as I type. Click on it...are these dogs sweet or what?

So I've raised three kids...and I'm still raising three dogs. My kids never pooped on  the floor (maybe once) but the dogs simply love me for being me and never complain or ask for anything. I wish  my kids would silently wait to be fed but they don't.

So I've had the best of both worlds. I had terrific parents and tried to be a good parent. I could never be as awesome as them but I gave it a shot with pretty good results.

 I have a husband who loves me, three kids who still tell me they love me on a regular basis and three pups who remind me how hard but  how easy it is to show and feel love.

I've had some hard knocks but I have also had more love than I deserve.

Be the best person you can be. Love all you can, even when it hurts.

"When you walk through a storm
Keep your chin up high
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark.

Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown.Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never walk alone."

We sang this at my high school graduation in 1978.  Thirty four years later I realize what the song meant.
My dreams have been tossed and blown but I have always held my head up high and I have never walked alone!

Til next  time...COTTON