Thanksgiving Thoughts

I know that it is a little late, but I wasn't sure I could put into words what I am thankful for without losing it emotionally...so I will start with doing 1 thing or person and why at a time.

I am thankful for having been blessed with a daddy who was not afraid to do unmanly things with me. My dad would fix my hair and help me wash it, it was butt length and thus a little hard for me as a child to get completely clean by myself.

My dad taught me how to put on make-up, granted it was big and bold for stage but he took me to the store and we spent quality time in the make up isle together picking out what I needed and wanted. That was a big deal me in the 2nd grade and I had real make up. I got to my teenage years and I knew how to do stage make up but didnt know how to do make up for daily life.

My dad wasn't ever afraid, at least he didn't show it, to try my baking creations. My first attempt at baking a cake was a disaster but he acted like it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. And when I tried to make homemade icing for us to try, he did not seem to mind even when I made a mistake and put way too much salt in it.

In elementary school, he would wake me up for school and then we would snuggle in his and mom's bed and watch the today show together and would talk about totally random things. He would also sometimes just show up randomly at school to take me out to lunch or bring up a surprise. The surprise could be as simple as a candy bar from the convience store to a book I wanted to read to the occasional flowers, and there would generally be no specific occasion for the surprises they were just known as happy whatever day of the week it was.

Grades 5-8 were a little different than most teenager's middle school experience, my dad taught high school in the same building that I went to middle school in. In middle school my health started to worsen and I was having more headaches and such, and he was always there to try and make it better. I remember coming to his room on a pass and staying in his office and laying down underneath his desk, I had a pillow and blanket in his office. Or I would stay in his room and just help in there for an hour or so, it was generally quieter in there than where I really was supposed to be.

Ninth grade is when everything broke, I went to the hospital for a pain management stay and almost died. I was admitted in april, discharged for a few days in may, came back and was discharged and later admitted to a different hospital for the rest of may. My dad was at that time recording his music and going to different churches for speaking and singing engagements, he cancelled all his engagements and stayed in the hospital with me. I was his first priority, besides his relationship with God, and that was a true blessing for me. He faught for me at my highschool when needed to, some people there were not supportive and understanding that I was fighting for my life in PICU and one person in particular was trying to expell me for being absent...sure I can come to school with an IV and on strong pain meds and sometimes on full bedrest, sure.

For now that is all I am going to say, next it is why I am thankful for my momma, Yes I said momma and I mean it she is not just Mom or Mommy (those are her other names) but she is never ever to be known as Mother.

Melinda