Janice Coyle

Friday, November 23, 2012

The Day After Thanksgiving

One of my Facebook friends posted the following on her FB page this morning:

“When your friends become family and your family are your friends, that's when you know you're truly lucky in this life.”

However, I would change the wording to:

When your friends become family and your family are your friends, that's when you know you're truly blessed in this life.

I can say I am definitely one of those people who are blessed. The oldest of four girls, me and my 3 younger sisters (Betty, Jackie and Susan) are very close. We are doubly blessed that our parents are still alive (dad is 82 and mom is 80 and married 58 years). These very special people are not only my family, but also my closest friends. We have so much fun together, from celebrating the holidays with each other to traveling around the word together.

However, the dearest people to me are my husband, Dennis, and three children, Kathleen (33), Christy (almost 28) and Kevin (24). My kids and I have the best relationships. I love nothing more than spending time with them – either collectively or individually. They share their lives with me – from Kathleen telling me all about her current guy to Kevin seeking girlfriend advice from me to helping Christy plan her wedding to her wonderful fiancé, Brian. Just thinking about them warms my heart!

And then there are my friends, especially the “fifth” and “sixth” sisters – Debbie and Kelly. They started out being the friends of my sisters Susan and Betty, respectively. However, over the decades (yes, decades) they have become part of the family. They join my family for holidays and special occasions. We even travel together. (In fact, we are currently planning our next trip together – to the Amazon in 2014!)

Luck? Mmmm… I don’t think so. God has put these people specifically in my life to bless me and bring me joy and love. I am so thankful.