A Thank You!

It's been a long road. I have stumbled a few times, gotten back up just to fall right back down.

These days I am spending much more time up on my feet rather than face first in the dirt. I am really thankful for that. As I was reflecting this morning, I thought about all the people that have led me to this point and it occurred to me that maybe I haven't thanked them enough. Maybe they don't know how much they truly mean to me. With that being said, here's a list of the people that have had a hand in standing me back up again.

First, my roommate Pam. Words can't even describe what a god send she has been to me. She knows exactly what I am going through and somewhere in the middle of all my insanity she helps me see the truth. She encourages me to get out and meet the world that awaits when all I want to do sometimes is crawl back under the sheets and sleep through it. She is amazing.

Tom and Dawn...when I had nowhere to go they opened up their home and made Olivia and I feel at ease. I thank god every day for them because if they hadn't been there it would have been that much harder to continue down this path. I am happy, and it started with them.

Ralph, who is always there to give words of encouragement and remind me that I am strong. It's amazing how someone so far away can have such a great impact on your outlook and be a constant reminder that anything is possible.

Jae who has no idea that just the moments of playing scrabble and chatting take me out of my life for a second. I love that my biggest problem in that moment is finding a 7 letter word better then my record high of 72 points.

Most of all, my daughter. She makes it all worth while. All the tears and all the smiles. It's all been for her and everyday she rewards me with hugs and kisses by the truckload. It's impossible to not want to make this imperfect world completely perfect when I look at her. It might never happen, but she keeps me trying.

Of course, this is the short list. I could go on. My mom, my grandmother, sister, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends. I am extremely blessed to have such a huge support system in my life. Even though times get tough and I feel like I am all alone, I know deep down I have my own little personal army pushing me ahead. I hope they know how loved and appreciated they really are.