Taking Time to Be Thankful

SOL- November 24, 2015

Taking Time to Be Thankful

I was telling a colleague just yesterday that somehow Thanksgiving is my hard holiday to be away from family. We agreed that Thanksgiving has special memories to both of us of long ago, family- based times. I told my son via Skype this weekend that I love Thanksgiving because it is a reminder to me to be thankful (and I do not know about you, but I need that reminder sometimes). So today my slice is a fairly random list of things I am thankful for (definitely not in order of importance, and incomplete).

I am thankful for:

• books and being able to share my love of them (slicing on a Tuesday means I have always just come home from my Tuesday after school activity, Book Love, and it really fills my heart with joy)- love our Mock Caldecott!
• getting my internet reconnected after two days of not having it (it only took 25 minutes on the phone)- yahoo!
• having time to write and read (and I really am going to try to do more of both)
• my cat (she is good company even though she is way too clingy since her brother’s death this summer)
• the progress I can see in my students as I slog through reports (and the goals we will set together for the rest of the year)
• the chance I have to live in different parts of the world and explore even more (looking forward to a trip to Vietnam next month)
• family- even though we are far apart I love them so (ack- this time of year is hard without them)
• friends- although I do not have many I am glad to have a few (I really have to do more with friends)
• great mentors (some I know in person and some I just “know” via their work- teaching is something I always want to improve and these people make me better
• being a mom (even though my “babies” are 22 and 24 being a mom is something I appreciate beyond words)
• colleagues who are both friends and mentors (I left a few of them at my last school)
• technology- even when it makes me crazy I love the opportunities it provides for sharing, learning, and creating
• trying new things (in school and beyond)
• the fact that I will get to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday (pumpkin pie and all the trimmings!)
• the fact that a student who is changing schools has the next few weeks to say goodbye (so sad- a really great kid and I will miss him)

So today I’m feeling grateful and I hope to hold those feeling through what I know will be a crazy  3 1/2 weeks until break.  Thank you for reading!