Day One - Thanksgiving

   At first, I thought this was going to be difficult. I mean, finding something significant and hopefully either enlightening or witty every day? And then I experienced Thanksgiving with my extended family and realized that every day offers up more than enough for a blog post. The real difficulty is choosing what to write about. My family's drama could definitely fill an entire blog post, but that isn't enlightening or witty, is it? Perhaps a fleeting entertainment could be derived from it, but half the joke is twenty years in the making. No, I don't think that's where I'll go. At least not today. The food was delicious, but I didn't make it, so there was no adventure there to write about, as I'm no critic. (It was delicious though, dear Aunt.) I stayed strong and didn't smoke my beloved nicotine nor indulge in any drama numbing Slivovitz. But again, I draw no inspiration from these things today. Which made me think. Where does my inspiration come from?

That's when I knew what I had to write about today; my very own Sparkly Marshmallows. The people that inspire me, every day, have made me who I am, and who have inspired this movement. The list is massive, so in the spirit of what this blog is about, I'll focus on those in the present. I'm sure those from the past will come up sometime in the next thousand days, and get their individual shout outs.

First, there is my family. Let me quickly define, this is the family of blood, the family that I had no hand in deciding or forming, the family that I'm stuck with through all eternity. The family I very often rant about and curse under my breath. That family is my heart and soul. They are in the deepest part of me. They taught me the depths of love.

To my mother, brother, father, sister-in-law, and all six of my nieces and nephews, I love you. Without you, my world would be empty. You're part of me, and always will be. You push me to become more than I even dreamed I could be, and let me know when I'm being ridiculous. My little ones, you taught me love. The first day I held you, I knew what love was, because though you could do nothing for me other than breathe, I would give my everything for you. I cannot wait to see you grow, to see you change, to see you become everything you're capable of.

Then there is my second family, the one I chose. My friends. I will never understand why they love me. Never. But they still do, those silly people. And I love them, so much more than they know.

Of course there is Linz, and she is easily the most sparkly friend on this list. She daily teaches me about joy in the little things, and how to be strong for the big things. She is a huge inspiration to me, and I want to be so much more like her in so many ways. If you are blessed enough to know her, thank God. For she is His gift to mankind.

 Then there is Mike, the original Sparkly Marshmallow. In him I found this crazy theory of life; in him I found how much it can inspire those around you; in him I found a passion for life that nothing could dull, and a softness of heart that the world couldn't harden. I hope, over time, he will inspire all of you as much as he inspires me.

There are so many others, my life is so blessed to be so full of so many awesome people. Erica keeps me grounded and always pulls me back to God. She shines so brightly. Petey always pushes me to be better than I am, and run farther than I thought I could, and do more than I dreamed. She has so much passion and determination. Honky is my brother from another mother, and he loves unconditionally. I so often wish I was more like him. Phil, who is my buddy for life and taught me how to lay down in the rain and feel the pain until I'm ready to get up again. Marcus, who taught me how to fight and never back down. DJ, for being the quiet comfort I need when the darkness creeps inside. Tina, my sister from another mister, who keeps me sane no matter who or what is attempting to steal it, and keeping me believing that the future is bright.

They are what I am thankful for today. They are what I am thankful for everyday. They are the reason I am here, doing this crazy thing and trying to change the world in my own way. They are the most amazing people I have ever met, and for some truly unknown reason, they love me, and pour into me. They teach me to be soft, and they teach me how to sparkle.

If you know them, give them a shout out here, in the comments. If you don't, tell me about the people that inspire you.

Talk to you tomorrow!