And Above All - Be Grateful

I have spent a great deal of time thinking about this bowl of soup and gratitude.

It is turkey noodle from the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I made it at my parents' home with leftover turkey that my husband brined and cooked for us. The bowl next to it belongs to my dad who had a heart attack just about a year ago. At the moment I took this picture (with my family laughing at me) I was so extremely grateful for the fact that my dad was sitting next to me.  We almost lost him. I was also so grateful for my husband who started the turkey process on Tuesday, drove us to Iowa, cooked the turkey, and survived midnight Black Friday shopping to get the items his daughters really wanted as Christmas gifts. Both of these men have listened to me and held my hand through the most challenging months of my life.

That gratitude started to creep into my thinking about my library. My thoughts kept turning to all things I have not done, all the times where I felt like I had failed, and do I really know what I am doing? I realized, looking at that bowl of soup, I needed to look up.  I am so truly grateful that I am in a library following my dream.  It has not been what I expected. It has been worse and far better than I could have imagined.  However, the struggles taught me lessons I will never forget and made me a better educator and stronger advocate for my students. I am grateful for my students who are wonderful readers and for those who are just finding the wonders of reading. I am grateful for a mentor who guides me and motivates me and has taught me to teach from my feet and not my knees. I am grateful for the two hour drive to class once a month where I could step onto campus and start to feel solid ground under my feet. Also, for the Starbucks I stopped during those drives - coffee and cranberry orange scones.

Cherish and treasure the little blessings that find you each day.  They may seem few, but they will carry you through every day.