Thankful for: Stability

photo of my wedding gown at my parents' home by Be Creative Photography

As I mentioned yesterday, I’ll be sharing one thing I am thankful for each day this week. I’m excited to be sharing, as I consider myself a very appreciative person, and I love having a platform to talk about it. Yesterday I shared my appreciation for having opportunity, and today I am thankful for stability.

I was born and raised in a beautiful white shingled home on Long Island, in a small town along the south shore of New York. The home has two driveways, a wishing well, and endless stories, memories, and joy. My parents and brother still live there, and it's Miss Juliet's favorite places to visit on the weekends. That home always has open doors, warm fires, and a soft spot for me to rest my tired body when I need it most.  Even though I have been moved out for almost four years, it's still every bit as "home" as it ever was, and I expect it probably always will be. Every time I find myself lingering at my parent’s home after a weekend dinner, my dad pleads with me “Jack, stay the night, I’ll make you pancakes in the morning!”.  My dad makes the best breakfasts - seriously, I think he should open a breakfast joint when he retires. There have been many, many times where I have taken him up on his offer for pancakes, and there is no greater feeling than waking up in my parents’ home, my home, on a lazy Sunday morning, with fresh coffee brewing and my dad’s pancakes on the griddle. I am thankful for the stability of that home, of the open invitation, and of the environment that I know my parents will always provide.

I am thankful that the stability I know and love is continued in my own home with my husband. He is not as excitable, fast paced or easily bored as I am, and is exactly the kind of anchor I need. I could go on and on about all of the amazing things the man does with, for, and around me, but right now I want to take a moment to express my deep thanks for the stability he provides me every day. This may sound petty, but I am thankful for his job. It's a scary job, and I worry about him every day, but it suits him well, and it's one that has great benefits and that he will stay at until he retires. His job has allowed me to not feel the pressure of needing a full time job myself, and that relief is one I cannot even begin to put words to.  While I work my tail off, all odd hours of the morning and night, to make my dream come true, he's working to give me the foundation to leap from. Thank you, Mike.

My deep appreciation for the stability that surrounds me sometimes surprises me; mostly because it’s so opposite of everything that I thrive off of. I’m a fast-paced, challenge-driven type of person that enjoys quickly moving from one thing to the next. Change and freedom are practically my middle names. However, the only way I am able to thrive as myself is because of the stable launch pad that my parents and husband provide me.  I simply would not be who I am, and where I am, if it weren’t for them, and I am so incredibly thankful.

Sincerely,