Family, friends and strangers: My Blessings

This post will be full of sunshine and rainbows and unicorns. Well, okay, I don't actually have any rainbows or unicorns but I thought they would be a nice touch. In other words, I'm feeling good! 

Sometimes you just have to stop and take stock of what you're thankful for. I think the world would be a happier place if we all did this - with regularity. :) 

Pinterest to the rescue!

Today, I'm thankful for: 

• My sister. She's amazing. She's a very strong woman, though she seems a bit fragile to the naked eye. She's been through a lot in her lifetime, including a diagnosis of lupus. Somehow has learned how to keep it all together even when the winds of change start throwing pieces of her life around. Michelle is two years older than me, an army wife, and an amazing mom. She's an advocate for her special needs son - who has the sweetest soul I've ever met. I don't know if I can say enough about her right now, so I'll leave it at how thankful I am. I didn't always appreciate her awesomeness and I took her for granted for many years. I'm grateful that those years are over. 

• My health. That might seem strange to someone reading all that I'm going through, but I am thankful for what's going well. The allergy tests came back negative, so I don't have to worry about yet another issue in the long term. I am responding well to the liquid diet and getting good sleep. I'm also thankful for my doctor, but I'll wrap that up in this topic. 

• Compassionate, kind people. This category includes both friends and strangers. Two examples: 1) My co-worker (and more importantly, friend) Gary made my day when he told me he looked up Crohn's disease so he could understand and support me better. I was so touched. A simple action on his part helped ease the isolation. 2) Tim, the guy at the Soup company, (and a total stranger to me)  asked a simple question: "Are you okay?" when he learned what I was looking for. He took a minute to give a crap. What a powerful lesson in making a difference in such a small moment. He gave me tastings of the various soups, strained what I chose so it would be more brothy, talked to me about holistic nutrition and juicing, recommended some movies to watch, and told me I could call any time if I had any questions. Compassion at it's finest. And, believe me, I am grateful. 

Challenge yourself to be living proof of human kindness.
Opportunities abound!