I hope you and your family are enjoying a wonderful holiday
eating turkey, watching the parade, watching football, and taking a nap (or
whatever your traditions include). I am fortunate to be spending the
holiday with my family and am cherishing the opportunity to be with the people
who mean the most to me. I have so much
to be thankful for today and every day.
I hope you know that you are part of what I am grateful for and that I
am thankful that you are in my life! As
I pause to give thanks I wanted to share a few of my Thanksgiving thankful
thoughts with all of you.
I am thankful for:
- My Family! We are so lucky to be gathered together this holiday weekend. I am grateful for the joy they bring to my life. Of course, in particular I am so grateful for my 3 favorite turkeys - my niece Carly and my nephews Colton and Brady. They always make me smile and I love being able to spend time with them.
- My mom's cooking. Technically, I suppose this should still be under my family, but I was thinking about all the ways that my mom shows her love for us and her cooking is one example. We are so spoiled - she takes care of the entire holiday meal each year and I love that we have the same Thanksgiving meal each year.
- My job. I am so lucky to have a job that is rewarding, fulfilling, and that never gets boring. No two days are alike and it is always exciting to see what will happen with each new day.
- My students. Let's be honest, the reason I love my job is because I have the best students! I am so fortunate to be a part of your lives. The fact that you choose to talk to me during difficult days and include me in your celebration on happy days means far more than you can imagine. I consider it an honor to work with you and I learn so much from you.
- The families of my students. Not only do students welcome me into their lives, but many families do so as well. The words of encouragement and appreciation you share mean a great deal to me.
- My friends. I have many friends, but even more importantly are the small group that make up my "true friends" - those people who I can count on no matter what. They bring such joy to my life.
- My coworkers. I am lucky to work with people who I consider friends. They listen, support, encourage and believe in me. I trust them without question and I am a better person and a better counselor because of them.
- My health. I am aware of just how fortunate I am to be blessed with good health. This year Kilbourne has, once again, been faced with the difficult reality of a student battling cancer and other students and families are dealing with their own medical difficulties which helps me realize just how lucky I am to be healthy and reminds me that I shouldn’t take it for granted.
- My former students. There is no way that I can express how much it means to me when former students keep in touch. E-mails, calls, text messages, or visits when they are home - each are priceless gifts to my heart. I am so thankful that these students choose to stay in touch even though there is nothing that I can do for them anymore.
- Generosity and compassion in action. It is so inspiring to see acts of kindness, generosity and compassion being demonstrated in big or small ways. I love seeing it directed toward those most in need and also appreciate the times when it has been shown to me.
- Stability. I am incredibly fortunate to live a stable life. I have a solid foundation of faith, food on my table, a roof over my head and a warm bed to sleep in each night. There are so many people in our world who pray for the things I tend to take for granted.
- Freedom. I am so blessed to live in this country and am thankful for all the men and women who have sacrificed so much to maintain our freedom.
Thank you for bearing with me through my lengthy list. Quite honestly, if I gave you more specifics this list would continue on and on because I am so blessed. I hope that today you will find time to reflect on what you are grateful for this Thanksgiving. And, if your life is feeling pretty rough and you don't have much to be thankful for, please know that you are in my prayers and that I hope things will improve.
I am thankful for:
- My Family! We are so lucky to be gathered together this holiday weekend. I am grateful for the joy they bring to my life. Of course, in particular I am so grateful for my 3 favorite turkeys - my niece Carly and my nephews Colton and Brady. They always make me smile and I love being able to spend time with them.
- My mom's cooking. Technically, I suppose this should still be under my family, but I was thinking about all the ways that my mom shows her love for us and her cooking is one example. We are so spoiled - she takes care of the entire holiday meal each year and I love that we have the same Thanksgiving meal each year.
- My job. I am so lucky to have a job that is rewarding, fulfilling, and that never gets boring. No two days are alike and it is always exciting to see what will happen with each new day.
- My students. Let's be honest, the reason I love my job is because I have the best students! I am so fortunate to be a part of your lives. The fact that you choose to talk to me during difficult days and include me in your celebration on happy days means far more than you can imagine. I consider it an honor to work with you and I learn so much from you.
- The families of my students. Not only do students welcome me into their lives, but many families do so as well. The words of encouragement and appreciation you share mean a great deal to me.
- My friends. I have many friends, but even more importantly are the small group that make up my "true friends" - those people who I can count on no matter what. They bring such joy to my life.
- My coworkers. I am lucky to work with people who I consider friends. They listen, support, encourage and believe in me. I trust them without question and I am a better person and a better counselor because of them.
- My health. I am aware of just how fortunate I am to be blessed with good health. This year Kilbourne has, once again, been faced with the difficult reality of a student battling cancer and other students and families are dealing with their own medical difficulties which helps me realize just how lucky I am to be healthy and reminds me that I shouldn’t take it for granted.
- My former students. There is no way that I can express how much it means to me when former students keep in touch. E-mails, calls, text messages, or visits when they are home - each are priceless gifts to my heart. I am so thankful that these students choose to stay in touch even though there is nothing that I can do for them anymore.
- Generosity and compassion in action. It is so inspiring to see acts of kindness, generosity and compassion being demonstrated in big or small ways. I love seeing it directed toward those most in need and also appreciate the times when it has been shown to me.
- Stability. I am incredibly fortunate to live a stable life. I have a solid foundation of faith, food on my table, a roof over my head and a warm bed to sleep in each night. There are so many people in our world who pray for the things I tend to take for granted.
- Freedom. I am so blessed to live in this country and am thankful for all the men and women who have sacrificed so much to maintain our freedom.
Thank you for bearing with me through my lengthy list. Quite honestly, if I gave you more specifics this list would continue on and on because I am so blessed. I hope that today you will find time to reflect on what you are grateful for this Thanksgiving. And, if your life is feeling pretty rough and you don't have much to be thankful for, please know that you are in my prayers and that I hope things will improve.
Have a great day and a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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