Holiday Gratitude List

Holiday Gratitude List

By Andrea Tadpole-Broussard 

12/21/23

Today, as reflect on my life and this holiday season I would like to share a piece of my heart with everyone, especially what I call "my little family". Holidays are really tough for me, even more so since my Dad died. I usually just blurr through them and breathe a huge sigh of relief once January 1st comes and goes every year. I am doing my best this year to stay present inside and focus on the positive. Practicing gratitude helps me do that. So, here is my gratitude list for this holiday season.

1. I am so grateful for God, Jesus, hey you and other names I call my Higher Power when I pray. It all depends on my state of mind at the moment what I call my HP. Without God's totally unconditional love and never-ending grace and mercy for me, I would have killed myself a long time ago and missed out on the amazingly, beautiful orchestra that has been and still is my life.

2. I am so grateful for my continued sobriety. I know that people often think sobriety is just not drinking or using drugs. However, for me, sobriety is so much more than that. It is living by a set of 12 steps and 12 principles in my life everyday. I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. However, one day at a time, I do the very best I can even though on some days my best is terrible. That is where that never-ending love, grace and mercy that my HP has for me comes in. He makes up for all my screw-ups. If I do not have any other boundary that I commit to, uphold and will never compromise for anyone, that boundary is to not drink or drug no matter what. As long as I stay sober and do the very best I can every day to live and practice the 12 steps and 12 principles in my life, I have a chance and there is hope for a better tomorrow. For that, and for all of the angels in human form that God has put in my path, both in and out of recovery, I am very grateful because I would not be here without them.

3. I am so grateful for my children and grandchildren and their spouses, my husband, my in-laws and my soon coming 3 great-grandchildren. They are what I call "my little family." My little family is absolutely beautiful. We are not perfect. We all stumble and bumble through life together. We laugh together, cry together, and fight together. But, somehow we have always found a way to stay together. I know that it is the deep love we have for each other that binds us together. 

4. I am so grateful for the most incredible crossroad in my life. That was when I got sober on July 5th 1986. My children were still babies. I saw no hope and wanted to die that day. If I would have chose not to get sober I would have missed out on the most crazy, funny, passionate, and beautiful little family that I have. God has richly blessed us and for that I will be forever grateful.

5. I am so grateful for my parents. My father was not perfect, he would be the first to tell you that if he were still this side of Heaven. Oh I miss him so much! He taught me about humility and loving someone no matter what. My mom is one amazing woman. She blazed alot of trails for me. She was the first in my family to graduate college and planted that seed in me. She fought breast cancer and won 30 years ago. A lot of the successful treatments we have today they tested on her. She still deals with the fallout from being the crash test dummy way back then. She has taught me about perseverance. So, in spite of the fact that I have often locked horns with my parents, I love them deeply and am very grateful for them.

6. I am so grateful for my stepmom Linda. She has always been my cheerleader on the sidelines. Our friendship is a beautiful jewel in my life. She has been my oil of joy after losing my Dad, even though she is still grieving herself. She has taught me about being kind and practicing integrity and grace even when others don't and everything is falling down around you.

7. I am so grateful for my LOYT family, especially my coaches Michael and Elizabeth. Their voices into my life are more valuable to me than all the money in the world. I am so grateful they left the ladder down for me and helped pull me up out of the darkness. 

8. I am so grateful that my LOYT accountability partner Lisa speaks truth to me even when it is not easy. I am grateful for the truth grenades she has thrown over my walls of fear to blast them down and help me grow. She truly is n angel in human form for me.

My gratitude list could go on and on but I will stop there for now. 

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas or whatever it is that you celebrate and a Happy New Year!!

Love,

Andrea aka Mom aka GeGe 💜