Whatever is good, whatever is lovely; these are the things I will think on.

September 10, 2016
Day 1

     Today, I'm thankful for long conversations with my mom. I'm thankful for the dog fur that covers every surface of my home. It means I have a sweet pup to love. I'm thankful for the two bookbags on my table. I'm thankful for kid cups and kid plates and kid bowls to wash and put away. I'm thankful for my husband. He loves me with all his heart. I never doubt his love for me. I'm thankful for Patty. Every person needs a Patty. I'm thankful for big bowls of popcorn and movies on Netflix. I'm thankful for time today to spend doing whatever we please. I'm thankful for this space on which to write good and lovely things down. And think on them. And ponder about them. And marvel at how beautiful life is when you look at it through the lens of thanksgiving. I'm thankful for work to do this weekend. It means I have a job. It means that for an entire year, I have 13 students to love. I'm thankful for the mess and stuff cluttering up every square inch of my home right now. It means that our home is lived in and well loved and well used. It means that we don't spend every spare minute trying to keep it clean. Especially because it's just going to get messed again anyways. I'm thankful that soon, very soon...fall is coming. And then the air will get cool. And the sunsets will be breathtaking. And the leaves will be on fire with color. And I will no longer feel like a dried out sponge baking in the heat. It will be such a wonderful feeling to step outside and take in a deep breath of cold, fall air. I'm thankful for things like acorns and dandelions. They make our walks with Higbee take much longer than necessary. But sometimes, no, most times, taking longer than necessary when doing something like walking a dog is necessary. Life moves too fast to always be thinking about timelines and schedules and due dates. I'm thankful for Saturdays. I'm thankful for new projects. I'm thankful for clarity. I'm thankful for situations that come up that make you stop and say, "I need to change." I'm thankful that each new day is fresh and full of possibilites.

     Here's to the next 1,000 days. I'm looking forward to them.