Gratitude

For this list, and so much more...I am incredibly thankful:

colorfully crisp fall mornings

hushed giggles at bedtime

tangible faith

not-so-tangible faith

love notes on a paper lunch bag

preschooler anecdotes

the right to vote

DVR

the warm, wet snuggle of a baby boy wrapped in a froggy towel

Christmas music

grown men walking around work with giant stuffed animals

an unprovoked, "I love you, Momma."

love wins. period.

baby giggles

friends who know exactly how I feel

the occasional spiritual ass-kicking

baby thighs

cheesy smiles

cards in the mail

coming home after a few days away

old family stories I've heard a thousand times

popsicles

palm trees in November

forever, no-matter-what love

my boys' baby blues

selflessness

Starbucks' Chai Lattes

my handsome hubbalicious

big family gatherings

Thankful

I have so much to be thankful for.  So much, in fact, that it’s hard to write a post on thankfulness, especially after just coming back from Russia.  I see our excess here—ads screaming at us to BUY ALL THE THINGS! and it’s contrasted by the barrenness of the lives I’ve connected with there, halfway across the world.

I recently heard the quote: “What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for today?”  With that in mind, here is my thankful list:

My Faith

I'm thankful for a God who loves me in spite of myself, and that believing in something bigger than me humbles me when I need it most.


My Family

Those who raised me, married me, and made me a mother.  I thank you for your constant encouragement, unfailing love and uncanny ability to put up with my shit.  And to my “family” who is not biologically family, including 40-some orphans in Russia—thank you for expanding my heart to include more than I knew it could hold.

My Friends

Those I lost long ago, those I'm still close with, and those I've yet to meet.  Thank you for letting me cry when I needed to, for making me laugh out loud when I needed that more, and for your general awesomeness.      

My Career
I'm so thankful for my job.  Not just that I have one, especially in this economy, but that I get to work on product every day that makes people smile, brings people closer together and adds a little meaning to their lives.  


Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  May yours be as richly blessed as mine.