I decided to start a Thursday Thanks series because as part of my New Years Resolutions, I promised myself to wake up thankful every morning.  There are a plethora of things to be thankful for on a daily basis, but like all New Years resolutions, the intensity of your commitment to them starts to fade after a while.  Since I deemed 2012 to be my best year yet, I knew I needed to get back to those commitments and goals and carve out some time weekly to reflect.

That being said, this Thursday I wanted to highlight my parents who are actually here visiting me this week and I could not be happier to have them.  When I ventured to California after college, I honestly never looked back.  Moving home to Michigan was never an option, but with each passing year, it’s been harder and harder to be away from my family.  Thus, I love and appreciate every moment of having my parents in town when they decide to make the 3,000 mile trip – finally giving them a hug (which you unfortunately can’t do via Skype), spending some quality in-person time catching up, exploring new places and taking them to our favorite local spots.

I tried to find a more recent picture of the three of us, but the one above from their wedding day kept sticking out to me.  Why am I in the picture?  My mom and birth father actually separated and divorced by the time I was 2 and Ken, (technically my step-father) became my dad from before I could even remember.  He’s never not been there for me and I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the tremendous role the two of them together have had in my life.  In addition to appreciating them individually for who they are as people and as parents, the two of them as a unit (and still completely head-over-heels for each other) is a blessing beyond words in my life.  For that, I’m thankful a million times over.