It's Thursday today, so it must be Thankful Thursday. Lynn of Spiritually Unequal Marriage is hosting this month. So, you can link there to visit other participating blogs.

Lynn chose the topic of moms for this week. After all, Sunday is Mother's Day. And Lynn asked that we share about our hearts for our mothers or why we are thankful to be a mom.

Well, I have a little confession to make to you. Mother's Day has always been hard for me. You see, I always imagined I would grow up and be a wife and mother. But I had a medical situation and was unable to have children. It's a long story but ...we ended up not having kids.

I'm at a place in my life where I'm at peace about it though. I was even interviewed for a story in the Arizona Republic on infertility. I guess I was the only respondent who had gotten to a place of peace so the reporter called to interview me. I was even able to share my faith in that story but I'll save that for another time.

But I have to say that I'm very grateful for my mom. She went to be with the Lord four years ago and I miss her more each year. I thought it would get easier but as more time goes by, I seem to realize the impact she really had on me. It's a good reminder not to take loved ones for granted.

This is a photo of my mom when she was about my age. Isn't she beautiful? She was actually discovered.

My sister had an appointment with a modeling agency in Tampa many years ago. My mom tagged along for support. My little sis (who is very pretty) didn't get the job but then ...they saw my mom.

The modeling agency told her they had lots of work for an 'older woman'. So, for a few years my mother posed as a model for many Florida brochures and did TV commercials. Maybe some of you Floridians have seen her!

But more importantly, my mom was beautiful not only on the outside but more importantly ...on the inside.

I'm so thankful for her and I'm so glad I will see her one day in heaven. I can just picture us sitting together on our porch in our mansion in heaven. Maybe it will look like this!

And just maybe ...we'll have chocolate dessert and it won't have any calories. LOL!

And we'll have lots of time to catch up, laugh and ...talk!

So, on this Thankful Thursday ...I'm thankful for my mom. I love you Mom.

• According to a 10 year Australian study, older people who had a large circle of friends were 22% less likely to die during the study than those with fewer friends.
• Harvard researchers reported last year that strong social ties could promote brain health as we get older.

But listen to this one:

• According to a large 2007 study, you have an increase of nearly 60% in the risk for obesity if your friends gained weight.

I always knew we become like the friends we spend time with. I like to tell that to my nieces and nephews. And do you know what? It may be true for our animals too.

According to Rebecca G. Adams, a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, the role of friendship isn't well appreciated and that friendship may have a bigger impact on our psychological well-being ...than family relationships.

Hmm ... I find that interesting. How about you? I guess we can't pick our family ...but we can choose our friends.

In a book entitled "The Girls From Ames: A Story of Women and a 40-Year Friendship" by Jeffrey Zaslow, the story is told of 11 childhood friends who remained connected despite living in 8 different states.

When two of the friends learned they had breast cancer, the first people they reached out to were their girlfriends from Ames. They felt comfortable discussing anything with them.

And in a study of almost 3,000 nurses with breast cancer, they found that women without close friends were four times as likely to die from the disease as the women with 10 or more friends. What I found very interesting was that having a spouse wasn't as protective.

I don't know about you but having friends helps me in many areas of my life. When I'm stressed, I can call a friend.

I'm also thankful for my blogging friends even though I've not met many of them face to face ...YET.

Knowing that friends care and even pray for me is very comforting. I also find that I am more accountable writing a Fitness Friday post. After all, I need to practice what I preach. So, I exercise more and try to eat healthy because I often write about those topics.

So, what do you think? Do you exercise with friends? Are your friends health conscious too?

Don't forget to stop by Sandy of God Speaks Today for her Fitness Friday post. She's answering lots of questions. And Sarah of All Pain, No Gain will also be joining us each Friday to offer her advice for Fitness Friday. Don't forget, you can't have too many friends, right?