I'm thankful for this day and the chance to chase my dreams, thankful for the time I get to enjoy the moments before they cease.

I'm thankful for the present and moving forward with my life. Without forward movement, there would be no room for growth and strides.

I am thankful for my Mom and the solid foundation she has laid. A foundation of hope, love and strength that carries me through each day.

I'm thankful for my Dad and the relationship that we had. And the opportunity to carry on and make him proud in years to come.

I'm also thankful for a peace of mind- at least most of of my days. A peace of my mind that lets me know, that my emotions are okay. That I can cry and grieve -and smile and laugh-feel mad and sad-happy and giddy-all within a week.

I'm thankful for the support that has surrounded me through the years. A support that, without a doubt, has calmed much of my fears.

I'm thankful for the people who have come in out of my life. Even those whose terms aren't good, have taught me in some way, how to be a better, loving person each and every day.

I'm thankful that I've learned, what relationships truly mean. That each relationship has so much valuable and shouldn't be treated carelessly.

I'm thankful for my fiance who has stood by my side from day one. Who has taught me what it means, to love so unconditionally.

I'm thankful for my girlfriends, and the crazy ups and downs. They have made this ride worth living and help me remain sound.

I'm thankful I'm a dog owner and know the joy that dogs can bring. They are, without a doubt, a little heartbeat at our feet.

I'm thankful for good conversation and those who challenge me. Everyday that I get older, I realize there is so much more I have to learn and some much more that I need to live.

I'm thankful for my independence and the balance that I've found. I have learned through trials and heartache, that only sometimes you have to be able to stand by yourself.

I'm thankful for Auburn and the experience that I had. I'm thankful for that extended family that I will always have.

I'm thankful for those strangers, who kindly reach out a hand. Compassion is a dying breed that should not be slipping through like sand.

I'm thankful for my life, ups and downs and all. I know for every season there is a reason and no matter what, my life is a present to be lived.

When the dust settles- that is when we need people the most. We need people the most, AFTER the chaos that life throws at us.  We need people the most once it finds its resting place, not always as it stirs.  But people naturally come ready to carry us through initial shock, initial grief, and initial pain.  People come ready to carry you through the storm, but most people don't come ready to carry you through the long road ahead that it takes to rebuild what the storm damaged.  

I don't know why chaos is so easy for people to deal with, yet the settling of the dust is not. Perhaps that is because once the dust settles, the emotions become raw.  Reality hits.  And it hits hard.  The aftermath is much more intimate than the shock that firsts hits us.   

I have found that the dust that stirs does not hurt nearly as bad as the dust that settles.  Perhaps that is because once the dust settles, people expect normalcy to return to your life. But what we use to know as normal is not normal anymore.  This adjustment can take for a long, long time.  I honestly believe that adjustment can sometimes take your whole life.

I won't write forever about this topic, although I could...  I only want to stress the importance of reaching out to those long after the initial shock and after the initial pain, because it is long after that it always hurts the most. 

Society often forgets that it is okay to feel emotion.  And, we as friends often forget that it is okay to ask, long after the storm-  "Are you okay?"  Sometimes, these three words, is all someone has been looking for.