Boys, Boys, Boys . . .”AG”

I didn’t forget yesterday to be grateful, I just ran out of time to post what it was I was grateful for!  Yesterday I was grateful for boys.  Yup.  Boys.  Specific boys.  Not that the girls in my life aren’t important, but the boys really stepped up to the plate.  And yesterday, I really needed that.

I am grateful to a boy that I have just recently become friends with.  We grew up in the same town, knew the same people, but we never had the opportunity to meet.  Now, 20+ years later we are friends (through Facebook) and seem to click well.  He is a great example to me, and my kids, who call him Uncle Springer.  He enlightens me with his experiences and makes me want to be a better person.  When I am down or struggling, he is there to remind me of my worth and to grace me with titles like “Mandi the Powerful”.    He provides me with literature that hits the spot for me right when I need it.  Every. Single. Time.  He can figure out what I need without me even knowing myself.   He reminds me that neither one of us believes in accidents, that we are here for a reason, and that we have become friends at this point in time in our lives for a purpose.  All from 2500 miles away.  (oh, and he has pizza delivered to my kids when he knows I need to take care of myself for a while, after surgery.)  Yesterday, when I was having a difficult time, he threw on his cape and came to my emotional rescue, again. I can’t wait to meet you.  I am grateful for you Springer!

The second boy is someone I have known for a long time.  More importantly he has known me for a long time.  This is no easy task by the way.  I have changed quite a bit since we first met.  So many life changing events have happened.  Moving, marriage(s), babies, hardships, heartaches, you name it, he has been there.  He will be the first to admit that he can be a biscuit-head and treat others with a little less respect than they deserve.  He will tell you that he is selfish and that he needs to grow up a bit.  I will be the first to agree with him and we can laugh it off and just accept each other for who we are.  There has never been anything romantic between us, more like a brother/sister relationship so it’s easy for either of us to tell the other the truth and be totally upfront.  The cool thing to me with this relationship is that he has known me from when I was a confident, social butterfly, independent teenaged Texas girl to now when I am a less confident, overwhelmed, crazy, homesick, mother-of-five kids living in Washington.  He never lost touch.  He keeps it real.  He reminds me of who I was and who I wanted to be.  He tells me, “you know what’s wrong with you?  you’re a happy person who doesn’t know it.  you need to snap out of it and realize just how happy you are, or could be.”  Greg appreciates how honest he is with me sometimes.  I miss you.  I can’t wait to see you again.

The last man I am grateful for is someone who has made all of my dreams come true.  He knows what I am capable of and pushes me to be that.  He hears my dreams and encourages me to acheive them.  He puts me in the paths of success and holds my hand when I am too scared to get there by myself.  He is my genie in the bottle that keeps granting me wishes, he is my confidant, my protector, my court jester, my nut gallery and cheerleading section all in one.  He is my Mr. Incredible, Mike Holmes, Iron Chef, and Buzz Lightyear.  He is a better wife and mother than I am by a long shot.  He brings an incredible spirit to our home and amazes me with his patience and calm personality.  I don’t know what I did to deserve him.  But I am glad that I did.  I am grateful for you Greg, you will probably never know how much.

There are other boys that I am grateful for as well.  My sons, my brothers-in-law, brothers, friends . . . but these 4 popped up out of nowhere yesterday when I really needed some extra bits of encouragement.  They have been on my mind and I felt the need to publicly let them know of my gratitude.  I’m sure I will have another post about the girls in my life.  There are so many people to be thankful for.  Thank YOU for sticking with me, if you have.  🙂  Happy belated hump-day.