Thankful

   I spent Thanksgiving at my sister's house in Wisconsin. She had paper leaves cut from construction paper for revelers to list what they were thankful for this year, In lame fashion, I didn't put much thought into my scribbled answer of "Friends and Family." So now, after much thought, here is my expanded list of my thankful items of 2022.

    I am thankful for friends and  family. More on that later in this post

    When looking over this year, I started at the best school  in town--Community High School. I spent nineteen years being changed and transformed as a teacher. I am thankful for my time there and all I learned about myself. I worked with wonderful people during my stint as a teacher. The staff taught me what was important about my profession and education as a whole. I will always be indebted to Dave Godfread for hiring me and giving me a chance  to impact lives.

    Along those same lines, I am grateful for amazing colleagues in the broader school district who challenged me to raise the bar in my classroom. Missy, Scott, Bridget, and Eric are fellow English teachers I turned to regularly in my quest to become a better teacher. And rarely did they disappoint in giving me wise counsel regarding curriculum construction or whatever question I had.

    I'm also thankful being awarded Alternative School Teacher of the Year. It was gratifying to be recognized by my principal Terry Bohan, my staff, and the awarding committee for my work as a teacher. I invested all I had and more into my job and the students. Yet it was never a job to me--it was a joy.

    Next are my friends and family. My friends are supportive, helping me to complete mundane tasks that to them are simple, but to me, they try the limits of my patience, often ending in frustration. My sisters and my brothers keep my spirits buoyed. with their timely phone calls and texts. Then there is my husband, Chris, who did not take lightly the vows we made thirty-eighty years ago. I don't know where I'd be without him.

    No list would be complete without acknowledging the One who did the work in my life and Who gives me hope. My faith is deep and strong, anchored in  the Rock. I know I'm where I'm at because of His work in my life, And I wouldn't have it any other way.

    There is more that I'm thankful for, A lot more. Looking at my life, I'd say I'm blessed. So my initial answer has been qualified. Yes, I'm thankful for friends and family, but there is so much more to be grateful for. Just look around your life and see.