Giving Thanks

Throughout the month of November, my friends and I were posting what we are thankful for on a daily basis on Facebook.  It was a good chance to reflect and be sure to give thanks daily.  I don't know about you but sometimes I get too busy to actually "give thanks".  Sometimes the thing I was thankful for was pretty superficial and other times, very meaningful to me....but always brought to mind because of something specific that had happened that day. The 28 days of Thanks reminded me that I....we...should be giving thanks for at least something (and hopefully many things) on a daily basis.  So here are my 28 days.  

Day 28: I am thankful for the proverbial village. It truly does take one....to do anything! I am thankful that in our 12 Thanksgivings as a married couple, while we have only spent 2 of those with actual blood family (the first two)...the others have been spent with people who have become like family. I am thankful that our first year in VA, when we didn't know anyone, we spent Thanksgiving (during a wicked Nor'Easter) in D.C. and had one of the most amazing non-Thanksgiving dinners at an Asian food restaurant. I am thankful to the Johnsons (formerly of ID), the Saumiers, the Lagardes, the Dorans, the Borter Family, and the Linas Family for taking us in and making us feel welcome and not so lonely on such a family-important day. We would truly be lost without all of you!

Day 27: I am thankful for my husband. He is wonderful and an amazing father to our viking sons. I couldn't have asked for a better partner in life to share our ups and downs with and I'm so blessed that through it all....after 11.5 years of marriage....we love each other more than we did that May morning in 2002.

Day 26: I am thankful for rain. Growing up in the desert, where you could go 100+ days without a drop of precip (no kidding) and where monsoon clouds normally disappointed....I am thankful and smile every day it rains!! And no...it doesn't get old. (Maybe if I lived in Seattle.)

Day 25: I am thankful for random acts of friendship. A letter, a postcard, an e-mail, an FB message, a phone call, ....heck...even a text from dear friends. Be it four words or a novel...these random acts usually (and thankfully) occur on days I need them the most. 

Day 24: I am thankful for music. Yes, I already had one about being thankful for singing but this is just about music in general. I am thankful that certain songs or pieces can immediately bring a certain person or place or time to mind. I am thankful that certain lyrics capture what I could never hope to put into words. I am thankful for the eclectic soundtrack that has accompanied my life so far: Nat King Cole, Durufle, Depeche Mode, Chris Isaac, Clausen, ABBA, Keane, Ben Folds Five, camp/YPC/youth group songs, Sondheim, Linkin Park, Harry Connick Jr., Mumford & Sons, Peter Gabriel, Weepies, Peter Paul & Mary, Rachmaninoff, church hymns, The Cure..... 

Day 23: a) This is rather superficial but I am thankful for soccer.  I am thankful that I was in Europe during World Cup 2006 and caught the soccer fever. I am thankful that the EPL has such a long season. And I am thankful that my Arsenal Gunners have had such a fantastic start to the season (here's hoping they keep it up!) b) I am thankful that the ASU game was on national TV....and that it was such a great game! The Devils Win!!!!! One person in Virginia is happy tonight!!!!!! 

Day 22: I am thankful for wonderful books. My 3rd grade teacher (Dr. Hydrick) started my passion for reading. There are some books that I know so well...they are old friends. 

Day 21: I am thankful that I am thankful. I do not feel entitled to blessings and when they are bestowed, I am extraordinarily grateful and appreciative. I try to not take things for granted. In all things, I try to be thankful.

Day 20: I am thankful for the southwest. I used to not think very highly of my homeland and longed for greener (most literally) fields. I am very thankful that absence has made the heart grow fonder and that there are days where I am terribly terribly terribly homesick for its endless skies, vivid sunsets, alien landscape, native cultures, majestic mountains, high deserts, and being able to see for miles.

Day 19: I am thankful for naptime. It usually gives me some "Jessica" time where I can read or do some chores or watch some TV...all in peace and relative quiet (the ipod hair dryer noise is in the background). Or...like today...take an EXTRA long and EXTRA hot shower. Bliss!!!!

Day 18: I am thankful for coffee. I thankful for Autumn Barber who introduced me to the wonderful elixir while on a mission trip in Brownsville, TX when I was but 15. I am thankful for my dad who gave me the duty of making his coffee every morning in his office at school....which I would then steal.  I am thankful for the mochas I would get on crisp and painfully chilly mornings as I was on my way to my Women's Lit class in college. I am thankful for Moxie Java in Boise, ID because their coffee is some of the best I've had. I am thankful for my favorite coffee -- the cups that I drink on chilly mornings after I have woken up in a tent while I'm camping in the woods. I am thankful for my beloved Peppermint Mocha's from Starbucks...for too many reasons to state here. I am thankful for the smell that opens my eyes, for the warmth that invades the body, for the taste that is just a comfort-thing, and for the way it helps waken my tired self...especially after nights where I've been woken up 3 or 4 times. Yay for coffee!!!! 

Day 17 - I am thankful for quiet weekends full of reading, drinking hot cider, laughing with friends, naps, walks, etc. I am refreshed by the simplicity of it all.

Day 16: I am thankful that I have lived someplace other than where I was born - 4 different cities, 2 states other than AZ. I truly believe that it had made me a stronger and more independent person and I wouldn't trade the experiences of learning about new places, homes, and building a circle of friends from scratch for the world. It isn't for everyone and I miss my family and friends in AZ like mad but I am so thankful for these life lessons. 

Day 15: I am thankful for SKYPE and FaceTime. I don't know what I would do without them. The ability to SEE my family as I talk to them is priceless to me. It makes living so far away a little easier.

Day 14 - I am thankful that I am able to sing amazing music with amazing people (as long as I don't have to sing in French  ). Singing is not just a hobby for me but it is a passion and I feel incomplete and completely lost if it is not a part of my life on a somewhat continual basis. It is my sanity and has blessed my life since I can remember. I am thankful that it always makes me feel closer to my dad and that no matter the song...when I am singing, I can close my eyes and see him wink at me...like he used to do as my director in high school.

Day 13 - I am thankful that tomorrow is another day....and that there is wine for today.

Day 12: I am thankful that I can turn on Pandora and hear my Uncle Ron loud and clear on the French Horn. I am thankful that I can see a good scotch, a cigar, and hear a fantastic laugh and my Uncle Larry immediately comes to mind. I am thankful that I can see a woodpecker or puffy clouds and am reminded of the poems my Grandma Mary taught me. I am thankful that I can play "where's your nose" with the monkey or make homemade ice cream and my Grandpa is suddenly close. I am thankful that I can smell perfume or look at my crystal bell and smile at the thought of my Grandma Dori. I am thankful that I can look at jewels or antique clocks and think of my Granda Duane (who I never met). I am thankful for all my family who have passed away....for the memories I hold of them and for the way they continue to touch my life.

Day 11: I am thankful for all veterans of the military and for those currently serving. The frustration, heart ache, and camaraderie you experience while in the military is something that us civilians will never understand...as hard as we might try. Thank you for your service and your willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice....for a host of people that you don't even know.

Day 10: I am thankful for quiet and lazy Sunday afternoons. More so than any other day, I just want to crawl under a blanket and take a nice nap on Sunday afternoons....and I normally am afforded this luxury. 

Day 9: I am thankful that my mom taught me how to do Army/hospital corners on a sheet when making the bed....and how to iron my sheets and dish towels...and how to fold a fitted sheet.  it's these little details!! 

Day 8: I am thankful for the places that have my heart and a piece of my soul. Bar Harbor, Maine. Crystal River Valley, Colorado. Mingus Mountain, Arizona. Flagstaff, Arizona. Salzburg, Austria. When days are long and exhausting and sometimes restless, I can close my eyes...or look at pictures of these places...and the sounds and smells and happy memories quickly come back and I am at peace again. I am whole again. And even if I never travel back to one or all of these places (God forbid!), they will always be a part of who I am....of my soul.

Day 7: I am thankful for my friends. Be they in VA, FL, AZ, ID, WA, IL, OR, MI, or CO....I am thankful that we are close in spirit. Even though distance may separate us, I am thankful that our history unites us. Even if religion or politics divide us, I am thankful that our friendship outshines those differences. I am thankful that with many of my dearest friends, months or years can pass but a phone call or visit has us picking up right where we left off. I am thankful for all my friends have taught me, for their patience with me, and for their support and love and encouragement. I am even thankful for the friends that I have had and lost along the way. I am thankful for new friends and for old friends; for the friends I can scrap with and give a hard time; for the friends who make me laugh until I hurt; for the friends who challenge me to be a better person; for the friends who know me almost better than I know myself.

Day 6: I am thankful for my monkey and viking toddler, Jeffery. I love his hugs and kisses and how he says "God Bless You" when I sneeze. I love how he is such a good big brother to Jakob and is constantly trying to take care of him. I love his laugh and his constant look of mischief and fun. I love how he says "So Sorry. I love you too Mama" when he's done something wrong. He is exhausting but I am so thankful he is here.

Day 5: I am thankful for my little Jakob Bear. He is 2 months old today and has filled my life with such peace and love....and dark circles under the eyes once more. His little smiles and coos make my day brighter.

Day 4: I am thankful for insanely generous family and friends. My life has continually been blessed by amazingly generous people and I am very often in a state of awe at their actions. My only hope of paying them back or thanking them is to be able to pass things forward and use their model as a way to live my life.

Day 3: I am thankful for my faith. I may be more of a sinner than a saint sometimes but I do try. It has kept me grounded and sane through extremely difficult and heart breaking times and during times of great joy, has been the cause of praise! I am thankful for the mercy and forgiveness that I find, for the grace that is bestowed upon me, and for the unconditional love that is always waiting for me.

Day 2: I am thankful for the opportunity I have been given to sing as a section leader with the choir at St. Benedict church. It was a wonderful 2 years that was spiritually enriching and fulfilling for me and I know I will miss it and the dear people. I am thankful to Jim Dorn who gave me the opportunity and I am thankful for all the friendships that were made and strengthened.

Day 1: I am thankful to live in a place where I can truly enjoy fall and all of its glorious beauty! The view from my bedroom window of trees decked out in gold and red is amazing!!!!

What are you thankful for?!