Being with family, being able to sleep, relax, laugh, and just be, I realize I have a lot to be thankful for. There are people around me struggling for their very sanity and yes, problems come and go, but I am making a very conscious choice to be grateful…

I’m thankful for:
• My relationship with God. It keeps me stable, sane, balanced. It comforts me because it’s true, I know that no matter what I win, because of God. He gives me a reason to smile through it all and I hurt for those who don’t know Him like I do because Jesus truly is my love song.
• My family. The people who made me who I am. The people that gave me all of the jokes, quick wit and taught me how to love the way I do. The people who help me cultivate all of my talents but keep me humble at the same time. The people who make me laugh and cry like no one else can.
• The five senses. It is a blessing to be able to watch the sun rise over the ocean. To watch planes take off over the Bay Bridge before the sun comes up and the sky is dark and the lights are twinkling in the distance. To be able to smell lavender and honeysuckle and feel the wind whip around your face. To be able to hear Jill Scott sing about my life and catch one of those contagious giggles that courses through you and turns into a full out laugh. To be able to feel hugs that can instantly turn your day around and to be able to taste Mommies cooking. I’m grateful that I am able to enjoy every facet of life.
• Art: I love that I am sensitive enough to let a poem, a painting, a book, a dance, a song affect me in a way that I feel like I need to do something with my emotions. That I can go and lose myself in a museum, spend an entire day laying in a park listening to free Latin jazz and staring at the sky creating shapes in the clouds. That I can write out my bad days and dance out my frustration and paint out my tears. I’m grateful that art affects my life and propels me into my own artistry.
• I am grateful that I know my purpose and I am able to work in that. I am grateful to be passionate about my life, my dreams and my goals. I get to see the colors around me and interpret them through my craft. It is a blessing to be an artist and to be able to affect people around me. I enjoy being a positive person, for finding the good in things and people and I am grateful that I am mature enough to no longer feel the need to apologize for that.

I realize that life is special. Its meant to be enjoyed and most of al it meant to be appreciated. Not just on thanksgiving, but everyday. I am clothing myself in optimism because I know that is the only way I will be able to survive. I encourage you to take a moment and honestly think about the things you are grateful for. Take a minute and appreciate the life you have been blessed with. What are you grateful for?

Peace Y’all
B
Today I choose to love the highs and the lows: and learn to find the beauty in the moments in between...