Day 16. I'm Thankful with Karina, Inc.

Thankful week is here and I'm excited to kick it off with Karen from Karina, Inc!  Karen joined us last year and I'm so happy she is back.  Both for I'm Thankful week and from her break from blogging.  I admire her strength and courage.  Plus she is friggin hilarious.  So with out further ado...

This morning, sitting around a heating vent with all four of my boys, our cold toes pointed toward the heat, I'm so grateful for many many things.  One of those things are memories. I have multiple sclerosis.  I know it should be capitalized, but I always feel like capitalizing it gives it that little extra boost of power that no disease should have.  So there it is.  I have multiple sclerosis; with a teeny tiny m and an even smaller s. Because of the way that my ms works, it's taking up a whole lot of space in the cognitive portion of my brain.  It is slowly taking away my cognizance.  That's why I'm grateful for memories.  So many are disappearing, which makes the ones I have left that much sweeter. Little boys singing hymns at night; very very off key but with so much soul. The yummy way my husband looks at me when he gets back from a business trip. Boys who rush home from school so that they can tell me how much they missed me during the day. The way my oldest held my hand on the day of his baptism, squeezing it in anticipation of a new life. Watching my four year old teach his two year old brother how to spread Nutella on bread. The sparkles of happy in their eyes every day. Every occasion becomes a special one.  Christmas.  Dad's homecoming after a week away.  A soccer game.  A trip to the grocery store.  Breakfast.  Thursday.  My rememberances may be fleeting and my recollection getting fuzzier, but I'm so grateful to be holding on to the memories that mean the most.  Especially the simple ones where we sit around a heating vent, warming our cold toes.

As a huge thank you to Jenn for letting me post here, I want to offer a very special someone one of my "to market" bags.  The bag will be filled up with goodies that will be perfect just in time for the holidays.  Maybe a banner?  A burlap wreath?  You'll just have to win to see what kinds of surprises might be in store for you!

Thanks so much Karen!  If you would like to win Karen's generous giveaway please leave one comment telling us what you are most thankful for.  The winner will be chosen at random next Wednesday.