Thanksgiving

Below is the blog entry that I started to write last year on Thanksgiving Day. I never completed it or posted it, but I wanted to share.

"There is so much for me to be thankful for this year. Although this is probably not one of the most joyous holidays that I've had, I still know that I have to be thankful for what I have been given. Vanessa coming off the ventilator in time for Thanksgiving is probably what I am most thankful for, but that is just one item on the list. I'm thankful for my family, who not only supported us earlier in the year with the wedding, but then fired into action with the early arrival of Vanessa. My sisters were so instrumental in helping to keep me sane and maintain some normalcy for Travis. I'm thankful for Travis, my sunshine, who can always brighten my day."

I think if I were to sum up the one thing I was most thankful for in 2011 would have been life, because Vanessa was given a life to live and she chose to fight for it (with some help of course).

Last year, I tried so hard to see what future Thanksgivings would look like for our family, but it was too hard to see. I couldn't envision what sort of long lasting ailments Vanessa would have and how that would change the dynamic of our family. Now, a whole year later the outcome looks so much brighter. Everyday and every milestone Vanessa meets is a victory which lessens the possibility that she may have a form of Cerebral Palsy. Any baby born as early and as small as Vanessa was is at risk for CP, but the problem with it is that you don't necessarily know if your child is affected until they start meeting developmental milestones (or don't for that matter). CP can be minimal and very managable, but the threat of the unknown is the hardest thing.

This year, I'm thankful for health.  Considering that both of the kids were hospitalized this year, you probably wouldn't think that health would be what I'm thankful for. But a broken arm for Travis and RSV for Vanessa aren't long lasting, and they have both recovered, so I'm thankful for health.

With so many things to be thankful and grateful for, if you had to narrow it down to just one thing, what would it be?

I hope you all have as Happy of a Thanksgiving as I am. Even having to work will not diminish the joy I feel in my heart knowing that for my little piece of the world, all is good.

♥ Cassea