I'm going to try something new. Everyday I am going to name something that I am thankful for, and then write about it. Hopefully this will keep me motivated to update more often.

Today I am thankful for my family.

My family consists of many strange folk throughout the US and now Ireland and soon Australia. I love each and every member of my family, and I am beginning to learn that they are no more perfect than I am. I used to believe that I was the black-sheep of the family, I thought I was the one that everyone was ashamed of. However, I have recently learned that that is not so. I am loved and cared about by everyone in my family, and I love and care about them too. Recently I moved in with my Auntie Ruth (hi!) and my Uncle Sam. They are some of the most generous and loving people I have ever met. Because of them I am becoming comfortable with who I am. They show me everyday that they love me and that I am welcome here. And because of them, I am starting to find my way in life. I am becoming more and more independent everyday and I can feel myself becoming an adult. Don't get me wrong, I love and miss my mother and father, and Ruth and Sam will never replace them, but this change of scenery is extremely beneficial to my mental health. My mother is a role model to me in every sense of the word. She has been through so much in her life including becoming a mother at age fifteen and then raising my brother to be the man he is today. I know she often feels like she didn't do right by me, but I can recognize all of her efforts and I truly, deeply, know that she loves me more than the world. And I love her that much times a million. My father, he has some issues with anxiety just like I do, however, it's starting to eat away his life. He's becoming a shut-in and it worries me greatly. I somewhat regret moving out of his house because he now has no one to talk to during the day and I can imagine he gets lonely. I miss him and his laugh. I would visit him more often but that means that he would have to drive me back to Marblehead, and that ride tortures him. It makes him so anxious that he grips the steering wheel until his knuckles turn white. I hate to see him like that. I guess you could say that I am torn; I love him, and want to see him, but I just cant cause him that much anxiety. But because of all of the changes I have been put through in the last month or so, I have realized that I am nothing without the love and support of my family. They care for me more than I could ever imagine and I am eternally thankful for everything they have done and continue to do for me. Because of them I have rediscovered unconditional love, and therefore, my life has become richer than I could even imagine. I love you guys<3