At the suggestion of one of my fellow Kossacks (thank you again Lightbulb), I decided to write a diary about being grateful for all of the wonderful things in my life.
To start with a little background, about 10 years ago, I made some bad choices with my life which lead to some very unfortunate circumstances. Without getting into all the gritty details, at the age of 18, I was a homeless, high school dropout, drug addict. I was lucky enough and strong enough to walk away and start my life over with no permanent scars, other than those emotional scars that sometimes simmer below the surface.
I often look back on that period of my life with both horror and amazment, but also with an overwhelming graditude that I was able to overcome everything and move on to a life so wonderful that I would have never dreamt possible for me. Maybe my life seems so fantastic to me because I've hit bottom and climbed my way back up, either way, I try to never forget just how lucky I am.
Now, I'm close to graduating college as a software developer with a 3.9 GPA and I've been awarded Dean's List honors every semester I've been in college. I have a wonderful boyfriend, who is literally my everything. He's my best friend and he's the sweetest guy I've ever known. We've been together for more than 3 years now. We bought a house together last year and we adopted two kittens a few months ago. I have a respectable job making a very decent wage, for a company that treats their employees with respect.
I couldn't ask for anything more. Really. I couldn't.
But I will always remember where I've been and that continually reminds me to be thankful for everything I have. Even if you don't have a lot, there are always things to be thankful for.
So if you haven't recently counted your blessings, please take a moment to do so and thank a person that makes your life better.