Thursday, November 26, 2009

Giving Thanks.
















I often wonder why we designate one day a year for appreciating all that we have and all we should be grateful for. I feel we should give thanks every day we get to spend with our family and our loved ones. We are all dependent on each other yet live distinct and separate lives but are joined together by a bond that is stronger than anything we can imagine. Love is a bond that conquers all and when we love and feel loved there is nothing as gratifying. It affects us in every aspect of our life and we can not survive without it. It is what gives us strength. It is what gives us passion in our life. It is what motivates us. It is what makes us whole. It is what gets us through trying and difficult times. It is what makes us care for others. It is what makes us reach out to ease someone else's pain.

To hold love in your heart is truly a wonderful thing and to tell someone else that you think of them always and you wish to be with them for the rest of your life is what we all strive for and if we are lucky enough truly attain. To experience the most precious gift in the world which is the gift of intimacy with another person is a joy and God blesses us if we are fortunate enough with a baby that makes our life special and meaningful and makes us realize what truly is of most importance in our life. The unconditional love of a baby is the best form of love we will ever experience in our life and it makes us all better for the joy, love and compassion we hold for our little baby is the greatest gift of all.

As we gathered at the table to celebrate another year gone by and another thanksgiving with all the people most important in my life which are my wife, son and mother-in-law I could not help to take a moment and reflect upon my dad who recently passed away this year and I felt an overwhelming flood of emotions that caused me to shed a tear and to smile at the same time for my dad was truly special and was a wonderful father in my life and was so loving towards mom and my sisters. I felt sad that we would no longer see him and that Matthew would no longer have Pop their to help him build his Lego city which was the highlight of his visits. It will take time to readjust to our lives now as we lose the ones who meant so much to us. We will never forget the wonderful memories of Pop but will feel the void left by his apparent absence. This is particularly difficult for young children to understand but in time our son will learn to remember Pop and know that the times he got to spend with him were truly special and he should hold on to those memories and cherish them.

I always knew that we would encounter happy and sad times in our lives and that we have to know that life as we know it is very precious because their is that element of uncertainty that we just don't know and no matter how hard we try to make our lives perfect and free from pain and sadness it is an impossible feat for we all will eventually face our mortality and this is why I believe we need to be thankful everyday because we don't have guarantees in life and one year from now is to far away to celebrate once again. I am grateful every day I wake for what I have in my life and wish to be here a long time to spend with my wife and son. They are the focal point of my life and I want to be there for the both of them and if we are lucky enough to be blessed with another child I would be delighted for children are what keep us young and that bond of unconditional love is a true miracle that keeps us close to our family and to God. My son's smile and knowing that he is happy is the greatest gift I could ever receive and when I tell him I love him I mean it with all my heart and when I kiss my wife and tell her how much she and Matthew mean to me I am revealing my most inner feelings and emotions and I am at my most fragile for I am laying it all on the line and know how much I need their love as well.

I live for love and I wish to do my best before it is my time. As I get older and wiser I also become more sentimental and more introspective and I start to flood my mind with memories of my childhood and my parents in a younger and happier time and I tend to become more emotional and cry more. I am not ashamed to cry or reveal my feminine side because I feel it is part of me and I am ok with it. Life is to short to get hung up on things. We are all people and we need to be accepted for who we are and find happiness in our lives and be the absolute best we can for when we die we are gone forever and that is the hardest thing to come to terms with especially when you bring children into the world. You always want your children to be protected and well cared for and you always wish to spend as much time with them as you possibly can and guide them and teach them the ways of the world. My son is my greatest gift I have been given in my life and to have my wife by my side is as well and the hope we hold for our son is what keeps me going in my life so I can see him grow into adulthood and live a life full of promise and joy and go on to study in college and find a rewarding career and hopefully meet and marry that special girl in his life. This is what I live for!

Edward D. Iannielli III

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Please feel free to read my writings and leave a kind message or suggestion. Thank you. Emily