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gratitude

my short list.

i am thankful for God's Love: a Love that is too sacrificial and too remarkable for my human heart to fully contain... and for a Grace and Hope that is too divine and illogical and limitless for my human mind to even begin to fathom.

i am thankful for a strong, stubborn man who loves our family with every ounce in him, understanding my quirks and weaknesses, while encouraging me through his quiet gestures and his commitment to responsibility and love. 

i am thankful for two little girls -- fierce and loyal and strong-willed and tough and still soft around the edges... for the incredible joy of watching them grow and the unique love that i get to receive and offer daily. 

i am thankful for the littlest one being formed in my womb, for the suspense and the excitement and anxiety that she brings with each turn and kick and movement and heartbeat... and for the incredible opportunity to, once again, nurture and carry a child for these months of intimacy and purpose. 

i am thankful for family that constantly covers my life in prayers and blessings... for the encouraging words and honest advice, even when they seem so far away. 

i am thankful for the chance to teach compelling curriculum and to interact with so many different types of individuals... and for those special students who will always hold a special place because of their drive or their humor or their kindness or their struggles. 

i am thankful for a silly dog who is no trouble at all, but worth a whole lotta trouble... for his patience with our children, for the way he can be so therapeutic during their tantrums, and for his uncanny ability to stare intensely at the family member who is in the wrong - to the point of confession. 

i am thankful for friends who have blessed my life with their authenticity and their genuine sincerity.... for the way we each connect in different ways and for different reasons. 

i am thankful for so much... for the smallest little pleasures and for the wildest dreams that have come true.... for sticky-faced kisses and sweet prayers and cold little hands on my belly and first snow and ultrasound pictures and healthy heartbeats and perfect morning decaf tea and early snuggles and full bellies and late night snuggles and opportunities to give and church and moments of quiet and pink sunsets and loud, joyous singing and a spacious, warm home and chalk drawings on the driveway and swings and good books and beautiful, convicting songs and sunday school lessons and family dinners and seasonal decor and peaceful sleep and nieces and nephews and toy bins and made beds and toddler reminders to put my feet up and to take my vitamins and conversations with my mom and belly laughs and popcorn nights and a fireplace and opportunities to serve and fresh flowers and an almost-finished nursery and good tears...

and for the occasional sad tears... 

yes, even for those. 

i am grateful for every moment, for every blessing -- material and physical and spiritual...

i pray  that every person's short list of gratitude, no matter the contents, can be at least this long. 

happy thanksgiving. let's give some thanks.

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