Reminding Myself to Always Be Thankful

I've had a whirlwind of a year. I've had many ups and downs. I've had stress that I never thought I could survive. And yet, so many have gone through so much more than me. So over the last few days I've been reminding myself to be thankful.
Some of the things that I'm thankful for are simple, even silly to some people. But even the little things can bring me joy and happiness so for those I also remind myself to be thankful.
I was thinking of one of our MyCoupon members as I read about the death of her son. Fletchersmom has suffered a major loss this week and I can only imagine what that family must be going through. So as I've worried about some trivial matters in my life, I came here and read the post about her son and wondered why it takes something so terrible for me to appreciate my own circumstances more.
I know many people earthwide suffer on a level that I may never know. It sure makes me take a look at my life and remind myself to never take things for granted, especially family and friends. It makes me hug my kids a little tighter, put up with a little more from them and it prompts me to make one more phone call to my parents tonight...just because. It makes me look at my 7 year old daughter's curls and smile. It reminds me to look at my 9 year olds beautiful blue eyes and big smile and see her as a little girl again. It makes me reflect....just because.
To anyone going through a difficult time in their life, I hope you find peace. I hope the support you receive from your family and friends in real life, on the internet, through the mail or whatever means it may be, will comfort you. To Fletchersmom and family, I am thinking of you with a heavy heart. I don't know you and didn't know Fletcher but I still ache for you. And I want you to know that I'm thankful to you.....for sharing your story and allowing each of us here to take a minute to reflect upon on our own lives, our children and what we have and how quickly it can be gone. And for being an organ and tissue donor, I'm thankful to you. Your courage to share your story, your loss and your sorrow with us, has touched me and for this too I'm thankful.
I will continue to be thankful for my family and friends. I will be thankful for my life and the ability to enjoy the people and things in my life that mean so much. I will be thankful for those I don't know but who have touched my life in some way. I will remind myself to take a look around each day and find something small, something big or just something to be thankful for. There must be something in each day that I am thankful for.