Things I Am Thankful For

The ability to write

The opportunity to love

The ability to make words form  

The ability to love differently

But still love

My grandmother

My aunt

My mother

My sister

A lifeline of women strong and resilient

And they are all still here

Like me

Still here

After everything

And yet I still smile

I still laugh like my grandmother right before she says her prayers in the morning

Thanking God for another day

A lifetime of dreams and vibrant blue skies

Of rain

Puddles and muddy shoes

The tracks they leave on the concrete

The sound they make against the window

And with it the night kisses start to lull you back to sleep

With this

I have learned to love everyday

To wake up and feel the fabric, the thread of my mother made blanket

Stretch my hands far enough to reach the wall behind my head

Hang my toes off the bed and laugh

Right before I say my prayers in the morning

And thank God for yet another day