Day 13 ... so many, many things to be thankful for. I won't fit them all into November.
Today I'll be thankful for my mom and my sister, because so far I haven't been. (wait, maybe I worded that wrong.)

Anyway: My mom sacrificed so much for me and Kristi, much of which I probably will never know, but I know she did. We were dirt poor growing up, but we always had what we needed. We didn't ha

ve much, but we were happy. And one thing I will always say about living in apartments is that (a) you always had other kids to play with, and (b) you always had a pool. I didn't know it at the time, but I now know just how much my mother struggled. We didn't often go to church (my mom didn't drive), but we always had God. We always had our devotions. (Eden now has our devotional book) And .... the worst thing my mom did (OK, not really) was she taught us honesty and integrity. Our inside joke, between Kristi and me, is that our mom raised us so honest, that we can't tell a lie. Even now, can't do it.
Not sure how many of y'all know Kathleen Madigan, but she is a comedian. She talks about her sister and describes her sister as a blonde labrador retriever. Perpetually happy. That is my sister. Kristi holds a great deal of pain inside, but few ever see it. She chooses to see the blessings in life. She chooses to be happy. No matter what her circumstances, her glass is ALWAYS half full. always.

So today, and everyday, I'm thankful for our little family of three .... because when I look back on my childhood, it was the three of us. (and Karen and Kathryn and Lucy; maybe they'll be tomorrow)