Thankful

I woke up this morning ready to sign into my email and I see a headline that Chris Henry from the Bengals died of his head injuries he received while arguing with his fiancee yesterday. Of course I didn't know Chris but I read about his story yesterday and I had hoped that he would be ok especially since its the Holidays, a time for family and peace on earth and all that jazz. When I saw the headline my heart skipped a beat because he was only 26 yrs old. It's such a huge tragedy and one that could've been prevented for sure even though no one knows the exact details as of yet. It just seems a little unfair that he died after just an argument. The headline also made me think of my loved ones and how appreciative I am to have them in my life even though we're miles away from each other.

I have been TREMENDOUSLY blessed with the family and friends I have. True we don't get to choose our family but we do get to choose the type of relationships we establish and nourish with them. There are some relationships with family that can be poisonous and for those we can choose to pray for good health and happiness and move forward in life. Lucky for me I don't have those type of relationships to worry about.

I have an EXTREMELY strong bank of friends that I consider family. They motivate me to be better and are constantly challenging me to move ahead in life with my goals. It's so refreshing to have people be genuinely happy for me when I'm doing well and who are always there to check up on me when I have a bad day. They refuse to let me settle and deal with negativity. Of course I have to make sure I do the same for them and I wouldn't have it any other way. So I thank God for who he's placed in my life. I feel extra special for having them around. :)