Thankful For So Much

I can honestly say that I am a blessed person. I have so many people in my life that love, support, and accept me for who I am. The past 2 years I have been chasing my dream as a college graduate. I am just 3 months away from having this dream come true. For the past two years so many sacrifices have been made not just by me but by my family as well. My kids have had to live with a mommy who had to say "not now, mommy is doing her homework", more than I was saying " I'll be right there". Dalton took the reigns and helped watch Rayden when I was in class or spending hours doing homework. Chris felt the stress and pressures of the finances because I wasn't able to work full time. Even though I had two part-time jobs for most of the time, the pay did not meet our financial needs. Chris has been a great supporter after getting on board and realizing what this meant for me as well as our family. Denise, Chris's mom and his step-dad Sam have given us so much as well. When times got tough and money was low they were there to help us get through. Right now I am living with my parents during the week, because my job placements for my externship is back home in Grayson, KY. Without them allowing me to live there and babysit for me, I would have had to really struggle to make this part of my education work. My sister Amber has been there to help me through assignments and lend her opinion about ways to handle certain situations, which has been a great guidance. My best friend, Gina has been there to give me moral support as I have gone along in my life, to her I am so grateful for her friendship. I had great classmates in the OTA program and made some life-long friendships from school. It is great to share this time in our lives together.
I am working 40 hours a week for free as I practice on real patients and develop my skills. I will be an Occupational Therapy Assistant, which helps people with disabilities and deficits live their best and most productive life as possible. Being able to help children and adults live a better quality of life is such a treat and a blessing all on it's own.
When Thanksgiving came and I was thinking about all I have in my life, I teared up. Yes, life has been a struggle and nothing has come easily, but I would not trade one minute of it. The struggle is part of the journey and is what builds a strong character. It will also be what will make the victories much sweeter as we go along and more appreciated as they change our lives for the better. I am so blessed to be loved by so many people and to be able to feel the support they all have given me is such a gift. Without any one of them, this journey would not have been the same or proven to be as successful as it is proving to be. I am so thankful for each and every person in my life. Thank you all for the love, support, and most of all your acceptance of who I am. It is nice to know a person who is not perfect can feel perfectly loved.