Blessings

When I was in highschool I had a friend (and sometimes boyfriend), whose family taught me a lesson I have never forgotten. One night he invited me over for dinner, which I hesitantly agreed since I had never had dinner with his family before and was a bit nervous. We all sat down at the table to eat and then his mom said "alright lets say a prayer", which caught me off guard because I was sitting at a table with quite the mix of beliefs (his family was a mix of egnostic and athiest). We all bowed our heads as his dad said thanks for the food and all their blessings and then we began to eat. Later that night I asked him about it since I wasnt sure some of his family members even believed in God to which he replied "It doesn' matter what or who we believe in, its more about putting it out there how thankful we are for what we have, it never hurts to acknowledge how thankful you are". This really struck a cord with me and ever since I always try to take an extra moments to say how thankful I am for what I have.
So today, after I got out of the shower and noticed I had a missed call from my mom and a voicemail. I was a bit annoyed since I tell her don't leave me a voicemail unless it is important. When I checked the message it was my mom calling to tell me she was thinking of me and loved me and just wanted to let me know. My eyes immediatly welled with tears and I sat down and thought for a minute how lucky I am to have a mom who calls just to tell me how much she loves me. This prompted me to sit and write this letter:

Dear God,
Thank you. Thank you for giving me the most amazing parents I could ever imagine. Thank you for giving me a childhood full of love, warmth, and imagination. Thank you for giving me a sister who is also my best friend. Thank you for letting us grow up happy, healthy and full of life. Thank you for letting me see the love and strength my grandparents have showed me. Thank you for letting me see that even though people you loved may pass away, their love lives on. Thank you for giving me courage (and stubborness) to make mistakes on my own, and the strength to make choices for myself. Thank you for giving me a husband who is an amazing man, that I love and respect more and more everyday. And now, thank you for my beautiful daughter who I love more then I ever thought possible. Thank you for giving me the gift of motherhood, the best gift I have ever recieved. Thank you for all my blessings. Amen.