Today I am thankful for Midland. It has taken me 30 years to say that. Every kid that grows up in Midland says the same thing, "I can't wait to get out of this place"...and I can't blame them. There is not a whole of exciting things to do there if you are a kid, unless you really, really like the mall and eating at Ruby Tuesdays. Things are a little better today now that they have the Loons which is where Cassie and I are at in the above picture.
Now that I have three kids and I am focused on raising a healthy family, I can now see why Midland would the perfect petri dish for my kids growing up. There is no crime other than the teenagers who are bored out of their gored so they take to vandalism and steeling street signs. Although I am not leaving Ann Arbor any time soon, I can see where Midland is a great option for families.
So in short, I am thankful for my homeland and the great childhood experiences and relationships it provided me (see two pictures above from my class reunion). I am very much who I am today because of the blessings this town provided me as a youth (travel soccer, good math teachers, friends, etc). So it is very timely that today I am actually driving my family back to Midland to spend some time there. My high school football team is 9-1 and I am very proud to be coming back to root them on.
Okay....now tell me what you are thankful for!!!!
P.S. Thanks to the Midland Daily News for always covering my story whether it was when I was an athlete at Dow High or today while I am trying to raise awareness for Multiple Myeloma. Here's the last article they did.
No matter the challenges, being grateful is one of the most important virtues we can develop. This virtue helps us to see the good, in spite of the bad, and it gives us hope.
ReplyDeleteI am thankful for being alive, for the good Physicians and Surgeons at the U-M Hospital who saved my life, and for the Good Lord, for giving me the opportunity to survive and be in the process of recovery.
ReplyDeleteI am not in perfect health, but, I remember that in 2004, I was on the verge of being moved to spend my last days at Arbor Hospice- and I am thankful for the Blessing of life that I received from HIM.
I am grateful to see another birthday, the 17th of this month. When I was diagnosed with mm September, 2009, I was in pretty bad shape. Now, I am planning many, many more birthdays. My stem cells are harvested and it looks like my transplant will finally happen around Thanksgiving. That means I don't have to cook the turkey this year.
ReplyDeleteThank you to everyone who maintains a blog on MM. It is through you that I have learned so much information and gleaned so much hope. My thoughts, best wishes and prayers go out to all of you.
Jodi
The list is long but at the top is the fact that Tim has been off all chemo since out daughter's
ReplyDelete10th birthday(way back in May of 08) and is in a stringent,complete response. It has given us the chance to get our feet and faith back under us, travel, and live a somewhat normal life again. I'm also thankful for some incredible people that MM has brought into our lives. Silver linings always.