Day 14--The Family of God

I am thankful for my church family today. We are a family made up of imperfect individuals. We can be slightly dysfunctional at times, but we enjoy one another's company, we take care of each other, we laugh together, we cry together. They are among the first people I call during a crisis, or to share in good times. I am very blessed to have some of my church family in my workplace. We are not many in number, but we make up for it in love. And for that I am thankful.

Day 13

Hmmmm......it isn't always easy to write during the month of Thanksgiving blog thing. Some days there are literally TOO MANY blessings to choose from. Other days I struggle to come up with anything at all. Not that there aren't things...my heart just gets hardened. Today, I couldn't decide. Here's a mid-month Thanksgiving montage.

I'm definitely thankful that my sweet Mom is at home tonight--and that her heart is fine. I'm thankful that Michelle unselfishly stayed up late last night cleaning house and doing laundry so Mom wouldn't have to. I'm thankful that I got to spend some time with my loving husband today. That doesn't happen often these days. I'm thankful that Caleigh has great friends that she was able to spend time with today (more about that later). I'm thankful that when I finish writing this, my son is waiting for me to watch a little Aggie football. I'm thankful that my Grandmommie and my Mom taught me to make chicken and dumplings...and that I smell dinner cooking.

12th Day of Thanksgiving--Prayer

Today I am thankful for prayer. I'm not going to preach a sermon about it, so you can relax. Books have been written about it, Bible studies designed around it, people have certainly argued about it. It's supposedly absent in our schools, though I'm here to tell you that isn't the case. From my earliest memories of bedtime prayers and prayers around the dinner table, to times when I have literally fallen to my knees in wordless prayer...it is a part of my life. I have gone through some times when all I could seem to utter was "Listen to my heart." When I'm facing a crisis, there are certain people that I want praying with and for me. You know those people. Our family has been blessed beyond measure with a multitude of people who pray for us and I love and appreciate every single one of them. Truly something to be thankful for.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

Day 11--Thankful for Freedom and Those Who Preserve It

I am a little under the weather this evening...okay, a LOT under the weather. Today is going to be short and sweet. I am so very thankful for all the men and women who have served and are currently serving in our armed forces. Truly, America is the land of the free because of the brave. Thank you for your dedication and selfless sacrifice.

Day 10--Friends Are a Gift

I have been frustrated this past week or so. I haven't talked about it much, but I am extremely disappointed with the results of my procedure at this point. I know that I have to give my body at least 3 months or so to heal etc. , but thus far there is just no relief. This, combined with some added stresses at home and at school, has left me with less than a sparkly personality. It happens-- rough times come and go, physical pain comes and goes, stress comes...and stays. I admit that sometimes when I hear the alarm I cringe and this morning was no exception. Nothing seemed to go smoothly, tempers flared (insert sound of needle scratching on a record). This is supposed to be a THANKSGIVING post. My 7:30 a.m. appointment didn't show. Wait for it, wait for it...So I had time to read my email before school. And then my day turned around. I received the sweetest email from my friend Betty. I actually have about 5 sweet friends named Betty. Interesting, huh? The lady I'm talking about is my mom's best friend and has been a part of my life for a very long time. And just a quick email from her today made all the difference in my morning.

This got me to thinking about friends--and how blessed I am. There are good acquaintances, childhood friends who know WAY too much about me, older friends, younger friends, friends I don't see or talk to very often but whom I love dearly. I have new friends that I'm excited to get to know better, friends that are related to me, a friend that I'm married to, and a few friends that I didn't even know were my friends until they friended me on facebook. I have friends who have stood by me through very dark times...and I with them. Everyone should have at least one friend that you can call or text in the middle of the night...and they will answer. I do. What a gift! Thank you God for friends who just "happen" to show up when I need them most. Love you Betty!

Day 9--Thankful for Second Chances

This week I'm in the midst of parent-teacher conferences in my classroom. I am maybe one of the few teachers who actually enjoy this process. I blame it on the data loving psychologist in me or maybe it's that I've worked with families in one way or another my entire career--I don't know. For some reason I just like sitting down with parents and talking about their child and their family. Sometimes when they come in you can see the concern. But I just love to watch the smiles when I start to tell them something GOOD about their little one. Everyone has something positive about them you know. Everyone. This morning as I was walking a mom to the door, she noticed her child's name was still on yellow (our behavior chart) from the day before. Since this was at 7:30 this morning, she was concerned that he was already in trouble. I laughed and quickly moved his name back to green. I said, "We all start on green every morning." And then it hit me. Yes, yes we do. We ALL start on green every morning. No matter how difficult yesterday was, it's back to green and a fresh start. Another day, another chance. I'm thankful for second chances.

Day 8--Thank God for My Parents!

I am so thankful for my parents. This isn't just a "random thoughts", nothing-else-to-be- thankful-for kind of post. There is deep meaning and feeling behind my words today. I am grateful to the very core of my being that God gave me parents who not only love me unconditionally, but loved me enough when I was young to discipline me and teach me respect. I was not in charge...not of our household, not of any classroom, not of decision making. There were things that they knew to be in my best interest that were REQUIRED of me. If I needed a "switch" from the tree in the front yard (or any other place--my mother has been known to CLIMB A TREE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD!) to remind me what was best, then that's what happened. The discipline did not "ruin" me, did not harm me in any way. I enjoy a loving, close relationship with both of my parents today. Because I was taught obedience and respect as a child, I am able to apply it in areas of my life now. God help the families around me...and thank you, Mom and Dad.