Thankful...7

Today is an obvious one...I'm thankful for my family.

Of course I'm thankful for my immediate family. I grew up in a typical household...mom and dad, two kids (me and the older brother), and a dog (okay 2-3 dogs, 4 cats, 5 horses, a herd of cattle, a few pigs, a rabbit, and a goat...oh, and a few ducks in my bathtub for an afternoon). I wasn't kidding about the country thing.

As I've grown, though, I've learned that my family consists of much more than just those with whom I share blood. I have several people that could easily be surrogate parents if need be. I have friends and co-workers that are like brothers and sisters. The past few years we were in Tulsa, I had the privelege of being part of an awesome group at church that became one of the biggest supports in my life. I would not have come through the other side of school and some other difficult times as well as I did without them. And then of course I married into a spectacular family that welcomed me immediately as if I had been with them all along.

Although most of us are born into a pre-set family, I've come to embrace and thank the good Lord that we get to add to that family...or even create our own from scratch if need be. As we go through life and come across different experiences, people seem to arrive on our path for a reason...and for that, I am thankful.