Giving Thanks

Every year, it hits how much I have to be thankful for!! Most definitely Dave, my kids and our extended family are on top of the list. They are my rock and the light I come home to. Of course, my faith in Jesus is at the top of the list. And my list couldn't get started without the great friends I have in my life.

But second to all of those things, I am thankful for support, which comes in so many forms. From Jackson's teacher and principal, who are helping us navigate the kindergarten system. From strangers willing to push an approval through for a medication (I was told I was too old...can you believe?, and it's taken a month to get it approved) on the day before Thanksgiving when people were leaving for the holidays. From family and friends who are there to listen when I just need to get it out. Also nurses at doctor's offices who are willing to call you back and not make you feel silly for your questions.

I'm thankful for resources and commitment. There are many options out there, sometimes you just have to ask. And the commitment comes from within me and also within others who refuse to let things just happen. I'm so very thankful to be working with people, some at school, many more in the community, who are just as passionate as I am about making a difference.

I'm thankful for my students. I don't know why this year has been so different at school, but it has. That's not true, there are many different reasons, but the students remain the reason I go back. For so many of them, I wish I could pluck them out of their circumstances. But I can't, and I look at them, and truly, they are the strongest and most resilient individuals I know.

I am thankful for the opportunity to affect change, even if it is in super small steps. I am thankful for the frustrations it has brought because it makes me that much more convinced that there is a reason for what we are doing.

As I said in the beginning, I'm thankful for my family. It's always an interesting day at our house, and though I can't always stay one step ahead, I love it and wouldn't change any of it for the world!