Por los arboles, los pajaros, y el sol

Quiero darte las gracias, mi Señor, Por el don que me das cada mañana, - Por los árboles, los pájaros y el sol, Por la lluvia que azota en mi ventana.  Quiero darte las gracias, mi Señor, Por los niños que encuentro en mi camino, - Por sus ojos que no saben de rencor,  Por la gracia que tras ellos adivino. Quiero darte las gracias, mi Señor, Cada noche al terminar un nuevo día,  - Por mi madre, por el pan, por el amor, Por las penas que son fuente de alegría. Gracias, muchas gracias, mi Señor.

Back when I was in the church choir, I hated singing this song-- it made me cry.
Even as a nine year old, this song hit me. It resonated with me.
I find the prayer quite beautiful, and concise.
It can still make me cry, but for the most part, it soothes me. It's one of my favorites.
Short and sweet.
It made me learn to appreciate my time on earth-- it's so fucking limited. It's what keeps me from doing crazy shit. Granted, I still do a vast amount of crazy shit... but I'm talking stupid crazy shit... stupid, irreversible shit.
It helps me forgive the ones I hate, and love even harder the ones I DO love.

I may have stupid fuckers in my family, fuckers who constantly upset me with their bullshit, but I do know to take the time to value them... especially those who stick by me even when we have our stupid, petty arguments/fights/misunderstandings. My heart always races when I'm in their presence, and my face never fails to light up whenever I have the opportunity to share a giggle with them.

Who's that girl with the equine smile?
Must I always look so abnormally ecstatic?
Yep.

I adore my friends and family. I honestly would not have made it this far-- seriously-- without you guys... especially not this year. I've been lucky enough to have so many caring people in my life work at slowly and patiently reattach that smile to my big, long head.
I could not have asked for more.

Merry Christmas.