And Above All Else....

One of the my favorite moments of each day is the sunset.  Often sunset brings a mass exit from our house, a jump into a vehicle, and a quick dash to the beach on the other side of the lake from our house, phone in hand, camera ready. My girls are often with me and then it's a race to Instagram the first image captured.  They have their own reasons for capturing sunsets, but mine center around gratitude.

It has been almost three years since our lives took a strange and unexpected turn, professionally and personally. There were things I thought I wanted in my life and the months following our move brought none of those things.  Instead, we were blessed with different opportunities far beyond our imaginations and far greater than I would ever considered.

The Tangled Librarian blog started as a record of my journey as an educator.  It has become an archive of the moments that have made me who I am. My passion is always striving to make the school library environment better for students in whatever form that may take.  I've been blessed to be a part of a dynamic learning community through Twitter, Instagram, and Nebraska Ed Chat.  I was honored and humbled after receiving an award from my state organization last fall.  I have an opportunity to guide future school librarians as they prepare for our profession, and began my school year in two new amazing buildings with beautiful libraries in a district moving forward and looking to the future of education. All of these blessings are far greater than  what I thought I needed in my life three years ago.

The lesson which has settled in me during this journey is that above all else, be grateful.  Be grateful for every beautiful sunset, small victory, miracle, and simple blessing that comes along.  Gratitude makes room for inspiration and innovation which keep us coming back everyday.  Gratitude makes room to breathe and look up at what we do each day and know that somewhere we made a difference.