I’m having trouble getting into the holiday spirit. I’ll write more about that later, though. Right now…reasons I have to be thankful on Thanksgiving (in no particular order):

1) My husband. He works very hard and is planning to work even harder so I can be a SAHM someday.

2) My mother. She is the bestest mommy in the whole wide world.

3) My dogs & cat. They’re warm, fuzzy, empathetic. And they make me laugh.

4) My students. They also make me laugh. On the days they don’t make my hair go gray.

5) My small group. I couldn’t choose better people to “do life” with if I had to.

6) My DVR. Especially this time of year so I don’t have to watch cheesy holiday commercials.

7) Jesus – He saved my soul and He saves me over and over again every day.

8) God – (yes, I realize He & Jesus are the same) – He is my rock and my hiding place.

9) Holy Spirit – (yes, I realize He & Jesus & God are the same) – He guides my thoughts away from the negative and protects me when I need it (whether I am aware I need it or not)

10) My bloggy friends – I have found such support and joy following your lives. Thank you!

11) Our home. I thought until today it was too tiny to welcome another human being into, but then I visited a friend who is pregnant with twins. In her apartment. Which is part of the first floor of an old house. We have plenty of space!

12) My real life friends. They are supportive, excited and loving. And they seem to know exactly when I need them.

13) Ch.ik-Fil-A. I could eat there every day. I’m not kidding. Every. Day.

14) R.esolve carpet cleaner. I love my dogs, but…you know.

15) My church. We attend the best church on earth. Don’t believe me? Come join me. Send me an email and we can meet there some Sunday morning!

16) Chocolate. The darker the better.

17) Sweet tea. But not too sweet.

18) My brother. And his wonderful wife. They are the best that could possibly be.

19) My brothers-in-law. Great men.

20) My four and a half nieces. It will be five in January!

21) Balloons. They make me smile.

22) Sleep. Oh my gosh I love sleep. I so realize that sleep is a precious and fleeting commodity in my life. So I’m sleeping as much as I can!

23) The public library. I am a bookaholic. I would buy books over almost anything else in life. But DH banned me from it a few years ago (see “my house”). So I frequent the library. Frequently.

24) The Bible. As much as I love to read, the Bible is the best book of all time.

25) My journals. My best friend encouraged me to start journaling a few years ago. It’s taken me a while to become consistent, and I’m still not there, yet. But it is SO helpful to have a written account of our infertility journey and now our adoption journey.

26) In that vein, I am thankful for blogging,

27) Our social workers and their agency.

28) The woman who is considering us to be the parents of her son.

29) Hope. Because one year ago, I had none.

30) And…I’m stuck.

But I am definitely grateful of things this year. Last year…not so much. But this year…it’s better.