Just. Breathe.

I'm two weeks behind and I've realized that's just going to have to be okay. I kept trying to force myself into a mood I just didn't feel, and that seemed more wrong (wronger?) than just skipping a few days. I thought about the "fake it til you make it" philosophy -- say I'm thankful for my job, for instance, when I really want to just run away...so that didn't work for me last week. Anyway, I'm jumping back in. November 15th: I'm thankful for massage therapists! Wound tight as a spring and she just kept working on my tension spots. Gotta love people who are trained to seek out and help solve problems we bring on ourselves. November 18th: Today, my pastors get my thanks. We're in the first stages of finding a new worship leader, and our senior pastor has a lot to consider. Our youth pastor is taking on the role for a few weeks until we get someone hired, and it's just a blessing that they are willing to step in during transitions. I...

I'm behind because of being out of town, but I've not been forgetting to be thankful! Well maybe a little bit on a particular day... November 6: Today I'm (determined to be) thankful for the people who run security at the airport. They do a mostly thankless job day in and day out and I'm going to do my best to not only make their job easier today, but to say thank you. [Follow-up: I forgot to take my plastic baggie of liquids out of the carryon bag, so I actually got to chat with one of the security people. She was very nice, and I said thank you!] November 7: I'm thankful for a country of free speech, free elections, and freedom to gather. Today I heard a former president speak about the need for cooperation instead of competition. How awesome that I even had the opportunity to hear him. November 8: Today I'm thankful for entertainment. I met a favorite actor and got to watch a performance that reminded me what extraordinary talent really is -- I take fo...

Continuing the thankfulness project... November 3: Today I'm appreciating colleagues that make me laugh. It's not every day, and it's not every call, but sometimes the giggles just won't stop. I love those days. November 4: I'm thankful for friends who know me and love me anyway. I'm blessed to have spent a weekend recently with a lifelong (40 YEARS!) friend, a relatively new (8 years) friend, and my sister, who I'm so glad to have as a friend. I take my friends for granted way too often. November 5: On what would have been his 79th birthday, I'm thankful for my Daddy. He was an amazing example of a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a Christian. He was taken too soon, but the time he had here was well spent. I hope I can be even half the person he was.

It's the month of remembering to be thankful. I don't know why it requires a specific day or meal to remind me, but somehow I slip into that "poor me, it's all awful" mindset. So this month I'll use this space to specifically be thankful. And maybe it'll make enough of an impact that I will remember to do it more often. November 1: I'm thankful for faith. Faith that the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train. Faith that seemingly insurmountable obstacles are really just speed bumps. Faith that when I'm ready to completely give up, someone or something will cross my path with exactly what I need to hear. November 2: I'm thankful for my husband. I typed that, and then let it sit for about three hours. How do make a list of things for this one? He can fix almost anything mechanical. He puts up with my impatience. He loves our daughter. He makes me laugh. He tries not to make me cry. He tries not to let anyone else make me cry. Throug...