Dear Universe:

Dear Universe, (Or God, Goddess, whatever term you prefer to use.)

I know I spend a lot of time complaining, crying, shaking my fist at the sky, begging and pleading for good things to happen to my family. Times are hard, and sometimes it all gets to be a little too much to deal with.

I just want to take a moment and say "Thank You." Things are far from perfect, or fixed, but even though we still struggle, I see the good things that are happening too.

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Thank you for the roof over my head, heat to keep us warm, lights and entertainment to keep us occupied and not sitting in the dark. Thank you for the food that we have. Thank you for the vehicle we have, even if it is running a little rough.

Thank you for my Jack. Even though we butt heads from time to time, especially when things seem impossible, he goes out of his way most days to show that he cares and loves me. He never gives me a reason to doubt him, and he is an excellent husband and a wonderful father. Alex is lucky to have a father who loves her more than anything, and shows it.

Thank you for my children. They struggle at times, and make bad choices, but it is all part of the learning process. Thank you for giving me smart and beautiful babies. No matter what happens, or where they are, they will always be my "babies" and I am so lucky to have them in my life.

Thank you for my parents. I made bad choices early in life, and they have had their moments as well, but good and bad, they helped shape me into the person I am today. Thank you for my Mother, who does her  best with what life has thrown her and defies the odds, and thank you for my Daddy, whom I miss so much. I wish I had more time with him, but I am so grateful for the time I did have, especially the last ten years or so.

Thank you for my friends, who have become family. I have never had a good relationship with my blood  siblings, but I was fortunate enough to choose those people whom I call sisters and brothers. Thank you for their kind and giving  hearts, their strong shoulders to cry on, their strong arms to lift others up when those people can't get off the ground by themselves. Thank you for their ears that never get tired of listening, and their minds that come up with everything they can think of to enrich the lives of others if they can, or direct them to those who can. I hope they consider me to be as good of a friend as they are to me.

Thank you for giving me each day to be here with these people who are so special to me. Thank you for giving us the means to survive one more day, even when it seems next to impossible.

Things may not always happen like we want, or expect them to, but I am still here, still chugging along, and will as long as I am fortunate enough to do so.

Thank you for giving me a life to live.

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Post Holiday Recap...

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Ours turned out to be very nice. Thanks to a few special people, we were able to give gifts to the kids and my Mom, and we got some great stuff in return as well. The most important thing was that we had a great time with the family. My Mom cooked an amazing Christmas dinner, and it was scrumptious! So in the end, it ended up being very nice.

My Yule plans did not go as well. Alex was not feeling well, and instead of the baking and crafting I had planned, we just made a few chocolate covered pretzels and that was it. Maybe it was just the timing, and the fact she was not feeling great, but I was a little disappointed. We will just have to try again next year, right?

I have to admit, I am glad it is over. It all ended up being very nice, but the stress leading up to it all was killer. I am hoping this year we can plan ahead and not be in such a panic when it comes to buying gifts. I know that is not the important part, but I love to give, I love to make my family happy with a well thought out gift.

I am grateful for the people who helped us this season, we really appreciate it, and I am so grateful that we were able to spend the holiday with my Mom and the kids, as well as two of my cousins. I missed my Dad very much, but I could feel him there with us. I did not even cry, as I expected to.

So all in all, it was a very nice holiday, and now I am ready to bring this year to a close and strive to make next year a much better one!

Until  next time...

Final Song of the Sirens.

Today is the final day of the Samhain's Sirens project.

This has been such an amazing journey,  and I am sitting here with tears in my eyes after reading the final entry for the year.

I have met some amazing men and women on this venture, and I am so thankful that I got to be a part of this. I am so looking forward to next year when we do it all over again.

Please, head on over and read the FINAL POST for the Sirens, and don't forget to see if you won the grand prize giveaway!

Thank you all for being here and being a part of this with the Sirens for the past month. We hope you had as much fun as we did, and we will see you next year!

Thank you....

I just have to say thank you all the awesome people who commented and sent me personal emails on my post yesterday.

You have NO idea how much those comments and emails helped me! I was so down and the comments came pouring in, full of love and sorrow right along with me. Filled with acceptance and advice and forgiveness. I broke into fresh tears with each one I read, but they were hot and cleansing tears. Tears of relief.

It was such a hard and scary post to write, and I expected the worst, but you all lifted me up from the pit I was in and I simply can not thank you all enough.

I love all of you and I am thankful you are here!