Autumn Leaves

For those who know me well, the month of November has long posed a cosmic irony for me. While autumn has always been my favorite time of year --- with its cooler temperatures and showy displays of bright red and orange foliage on the trees. It is also a month of mourning. My mother, my father, and my daughter Gayle all died in the month of November. All on different days, all at different times, and all for different reasons.

Like those colorful leaves that eventually turn brown and fall to the ground, leaving only gray and lifeless limbs in their stead. I too feel the chill of the impending winter and --despite a multitude of blessings -- sometimes find it difficult to define what it is I am thankful for during the holiday season.

Not the case this year as my life has been enriched beyond measure with the addition of one little Jack Perkins to our family. So this Thanksgiving, I thought I would take the time to actually write out what I am thankful for, lest I forget it in the years to come:

1. I am thankful for my son Jack, whose little arms that reach out towards me -- beckoning me to pick him up -- make me feel like I'm the only person in the world who can make him feel better. And, those little blue eyes and two tooth grin melt my heart every time I see them.
2. I am thankful for a husband who has proven that you don't have to know the love of your own father to be able to display amazing love as a father to your son. And, will never know he is at his sexiest when I see his imposing shadow in the nursery, rocking our child to sleep in those large, loving hands.
3. I am thankful for a family that can put up with my foibles and still love me unconditionally. And, who loves the new addition to our family as much as we do and will always make him-- and us -- feel special.
4. I am thankful for an amazing group of friends, who have seen us through thick and thin, and are always ready to share a laugh when we need it most.
5. And, I am thankful that -- perhaps finally -- holidays will no longer be counting how many years since we have lost a loved one. But, looking forward to the years to come; the memories to be made; and the promise of the future --until that one day we can all be together again.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!