Fifi.

November 30, 2016
Day 81

     There is a woman at the gym named, Fifi. She smiles at people when she walks past them, and she can frequently be found in the locker room talking with someone in need of help. And I'm not sure why, but there have been several occasions when I've walked into the locker room at the gym, and there is a woman crying on the bench. And each time I walked in to find a woman crying, Fifi was also there. Holding that woman's hand, handing her tissues, listening, and offering advice.

     The other day, I walked into the locker room and Fifi was there stretching. I say, "Hey, how are you?" She replies, "Very happy!" Tonight, I walked into the locker room, and Fifi was there doing her hair in front of the mirror. I say, "Hey, how are you?" She replies, "Very happy!"

     At first I thought it was just a fluke...the response of, "Very happy!" I thought maybe she had a great day or received good news. But I think it's more than that. Fifi makes a deliberate choice to be happy. Most people, myself included, respond to the question, "Hey, how are you?" with answers like "I'm good," or "I'm okay," or "Eh," or "Blah," or "Ugh." Fifi chooses to answer with, "Very happy." And it brightened my day.

     Thankful for Fifi. Thankful for her words.

Catawampus.

November 29, 2016
Day 80

     Thankful for a rainy, dreary day. Thankful for Christmas lights strung along the walls in my classroom. Thankful for notes from my students. One student gave me a note today that said this, "Mrs. Sanderson, you make my heart feel warm and welcome." Thankful for Higbee sleeping on my feet while I write this. Thankful for Matt waiting up for me while I write this. Thankful for sleeping kids. Thankful for Christmas music. Thankful for Wednesdays at school. I really look forward to them. We read all morning long. It's wonderful and relaxing and cozy. Thankful that my students use words like catawampus and hullabaloo. They especially like to say catawampus. I can't blame them. Thankful for fog. It's quite lovely. Thankful that it's almost December. I like the way my mouth feels when I say December. December is a great month because it feels airy and cold yet warm and cozy at the same time. Thankful for a good Tuesday.

Good.

November 28, 2016
Day 79

     Thankful that I get to take care of two sweet children. Thankful for their toys, and their mess, and their silliness. Thankful for their smiles. I would be lost without my Adelyn and my Tobin. Thankful for my furry baby. Thankful for his sweet, sweet, brown puppy eyes. It's a wonderful thing to love a dog and be loved back by that dog. Thankful that my husband waits up so that he can help me carry in the groceries. Thankful that he helps me clean the kitchen. Thankful that I know without a shadow of a doubt that he loves me forever. I never question his devotion to me and our family. Thankful for the cold air and my warm home. Thankful for warm coats for my children. Thankful that we have food to eat. Thankful for things like bathtubs full of toys and reading homework. Thankful for my students. Thankful for my job. Thankful for my family. Thankful for things like peace and happiness and laughter and togetherness. Thankful that I have so many things to be thankful for, that I could never possibly list them all. The list would go on forever. That's a whole lot of good. And when there is that much good, how can there be any room at all for anything that isn't good?

A fine Sunday.

November 27, 2016
Day 78

     Thankful for a lovely day. Thankful for time spent outside. It was warm in the sun with a cold breeze. It felt glorious. Thankful for pecan pie with whipped cream. Patty and I finished off the last of it today. Thankful for days when Matt and I can accomplish things in the house together. We went through all of the kid's clothes today. It takes forever and it's not very fun, but somehow we always end up laughing and having a good time. It's good to laugh and organize and accomplish things. It's better to do it with your best friend. Thankful that we always have way way more clothes than we need for our kids. Thankful that there are Christmas lights and decorations going up everywhere. It's such a joyful and jolly time of year. Thankful that I can listen to Christmas music at home and at school. Thankful for time to read to Adelyn at night. Thankful for time to read to Tobin at night. Thankful that Tobin still asks me to sing to him before bed. Thankful that there are only a few short weeks until Christmas break. Thankful for the most relaxing Thanksgiving break and a very fine Sunday.

"You make my heart feel all better."

November 26, 2016
Day 77

     Thankful for a day of leftovers. I think leftovers are so much more delicious than the original meal itself. Thankful for the joy and happiness of decorating for Christmas with Adelyn and Tobin. Christmas for them is the greatest day of all. They love everything Christmas. Christmas movies, Christmas decorations, Christmas hats, Christmas cookies, Christmas clothes, Christmas candy. Today, while we were out walking Higbee, they found the scraps from a Christmas tree that someone had left out on the sidewalk, and they went crazy over them. Over scraps of a Christmas tree. That is a serious love for Christmas. Thankful for what Tobin said when he was taking his turn telling us what he was thankful for during our leftover dinner. He said, "I'm thankful for my whole family...I'm thankful for Mama...Mama, you're so beautiful that you make my heart feel all better." I wanted to cry. My children speak the kindest words. Thankful for the coziest day with all my loves. Thankful for the cold and the wind outside today. It made my home feel that much more warm and cozy.

     Thankful. Grateful.

Thanksgiving Part Two

November 25, 2016
Day 76

     Thankful for a good day with my family. Thankful for books. Thankful for Seinfeld. Thankful for the smell of Thanksgiving. It permeates every single room in the house. Our home will smell of deliciousness and coziness for days now. Thankful for pecan pie with fresh whip and vanilla ice cream. And just to let you know...it's pronounced: pee-can. Thankful for pomegranates. Thankful for black olives. Thankful for laughter. For hugs. For funny stories. I'm thankful for this: Tobin is adamant that he doesn't have lips. He says lips are for girls.  I'm thankful for two whole days left to be home with my loves. Thankful the the sounds of kids laughing and playing in the basement. Thankful for walks around the neighborhood with Higbee. He loves to go visiting. Thankful that tomorrow, we have leftovers to eat.

     Thankful for this day.

Happy Thanksgiving.

November 24, 2016
Day 75

     Thankful for a lovely Thanksgiving Day with family. Thankful for black olives, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy. Thankful for time to sit and talk with family. Thankful for old kid movies like Heavyweights and Home Alone. Thankful for time off. Thankful for time to be thankful. Thankful for a good day and a happy Thanksgiving.