About 2 seconds after posting “Homeless man in an Armani suit”, I realized I probably come off as ungrateful to some people, myself. While I find it funny that I am so worried about this that I want to apologize, I just can’t apologize for my words. I mean them I AM sorry if I came off as ungrateful, though.
So, I’m making a gratitude list. Right here. For the public to see.
I am thankful for:
- My grandparents. My family is unconventional and a little unstructured; my grandparents are kind of like the central location of our family. Like the kitchen in an old house, they are what bring us all together. They keep us straight and they support us, as well. I don’t think anyone in my immediate family that can disagree with this.
- My Lady (or ‘Mom’). She sat with me in the hospital every night, every other week, for a whole year while I puked and refused to eat (ugh, chemo) when I was 12. Not to mention all the other illnesses she fought BEFORE I had cancer as a kid. Now, she supports me while I do it again, just a little differently. Somewhere in between she dealt with me as a teenager, and while I wasn’t a bad kid… looking back, I was kind of intense. I don’t know that I would have dealt with me well if I was her. Just. I’d have to tell you my whole story to explain why I’m thankful for her.
- My sister. She’s here right now, when I need her. She is the only one that was with me for a while, when our family was split up, and sometimes we both forget that, I think. Having her around is something I don’t want to take for granted. Also: she’s throwing my engagement party!
- Big Brother. He and I were so close as kids. I’m pretty sure we still have secrets from our childhood that only the other knows. He’s my bud. I’ve never even hesitated to tell him things when I’m upset or bothered. That’s not something I can say about anyone else, really.
- Little Brother. He’s different in that he is the protective brother. And I want to protect him, as well. In our story, I think that is obvious. But he won’t convince me to buy a gun, no matter how hard he tries.
- The C clan- My Uncle, Aunt and 2 cousins (who have been featured here!) hah. Then the girls were born I was still in this whole… “Omg babies… I don’t get it!” phase, but now, I kid you not- they are to blame, at least partially, for me wanting kids. Not even kidding. And while I don’t see them much or know much about their day to day life, their little family makes me hope I can have a little family. They are like a little beacon of hope for normalcy! (If they read this, they may laugh at that, but I hope they know what I mean by ‘normalcy’ hah).
- My college experiences. I’ll just say this: my broken heart led to where I am now. Once college led me to another. One form of art led me to another. That life led me to this life. And there are SO many great memories, even in the midst of my screwed up days. My sorority, slursday, the lambda chi hall, apta 32, doubleplay, tubing, and music. I left Montevallo 6 years ago. Sometimes it feels like yesterday. UAB isn’t really full of memories, but I’m thankful for it because it’s there that I learned that I LOVE to teach.
- South Side. In south side I lived life with no consequences, really, for a year. And it’s exactly what I needed, I think. I filtered out all of my crazy, and then I was saved by that little community. Even now, I think of it as ‘home’.
- Blake’s grandparents. They are like mine is that they are a rock for us. They have supported us from day 1 in every way and it is because of them that we have a place to call our own. Emotional support from people you aren’t related to, is not something to take for granted. I love when Blake answers the phone and I hear, ‘Hey Pop!’
- Everyone listed in “Luckiest Girl Alive”
- Blake. You guys sick of My Diamond in the Rough, yet? I adore him (which I suppose is good since I’m going to marry him). I just find myself lost for words some times when I try to express my gratitude for him and what he has done. I get emotional! He’s a better person than me.
- My job. I got it less than a month before diagnosis with breast cancer and they have been so good to me when it comes to taking off work for doctors and surgery. Yes, it is there that I have to deal with horrid people, but I also really like it. And those small checks happen to be a godsend right now.
- This apartment. Blake and I were lucky to get this place (see above- Blake’s Grandparents) and now that we have it, I’m grateful for each piece of it. There is not a centimeter of space in here that I do not love and cherish.
- Albus <3. I got Albus shortly after my TLC (taking on life after cancer) doctor told me that I would probably go into menopause around age 30. She told me that 2 and a half years ago; I was 25 and had just started to really admit to myself that I wanted a family. I did so much research to find Albus, and since then, he and I have nearly crossed the Red Sea together. Now that chances are becoming slimmer for me having a kiddo (because of FBC) I am even more grateful that I have him.
- Coffee and diet coke
- There is no cancer in my lymph nodes
- I didn’t have to have a second surgery to remove more tissue
- Modern medicine (And the fact that only one person, so far, has told me I don’t need it to rid myself of my cancer)
- Blake’s job and his bosses (for being so kind to him; allowing him to stay with me in recovery)
- Fruit. I really like fruit.
- And last, let me offend or confuse or make sense, maybe. I’m thankful for cancer. How messed up does that sound?! But I am. I’m thankful for it because if I had not had cancer at 12 years old, I would not have had the complications I had and gotten Medicaid. Without Medicaid I would be screwed. I wouldn’t have been able to stomp my feet for a mammogram to find out I had cancer again. I wouldn’t be able to treat my breast cancer. That may make no sense, but I’m hoping you guys can read what I’m trying to say. I’m also thankful for it because of what it did to my family when I was 12- it brought us together and we were happy, despite cancer. The same goes for this time. It has brought us together in some ways. Ya know, cancer puts things in perspective, even for the people who don’t have it. It also led me to my camp family and made me into the sort of person I am. Why wouldn’t I be grateful for that?
There’s a lot more, but making a gratitude list is emotional and intense sometimes. Maybe we will do a part 2 one day.
“Fruit. I really like fruit.” <– priceless
hahaha! Fruit is spectacular!
I am going to think about my gratitude list today…
I love them. A way to make them even better (i find..) is to say how you show that you are grateful for those things. Like, for my grandparents I could say that Im grateful for them, so I try to call or email at least once a day. For my apartment, Im grateful for it, so I do my best to express that by keeping it clean.
When you get to one that you cant really figure out what you do to show your gratitude… it makes you WANT to show gratitude.
currently, I think I need to plant a garden of fruit, because thats the only one I cant figure out what I do to show my gratitude!
Also I get where you are coming from when you say you are grateful to cancer… It changed my life because it made me think about what was REALLY important in my life.. It helped me to simplify my life… How do I show that gratitude… I work counselling cancer patients!
That is incredible! Thank you so much for sharing!
I love this & I love the expression of you in everything you write – I don’t know If that makes sense I’m weird – thanks for allowing us/the “world” into your head & to be part of your journey…. PS Ive been thinking extensively about the fact that you should write a book – just like the journal – straight up Bekah style .. Real … It’d be a best seller! Ok that’s all! Praying for you!
You have no idea how many people tell me to write a book!
I should figure out how to get that going! Hahah