Christmas

So yesterday I was thankful for Christmas movies. But today I'm thankful for Christmas. I'm thankful that a loving God sent a baby to live like men so that eventually he could give up his life for us. I'm thankful that Christmas is a time to show love to people, maybe more than you would show on a normal day (though, of course, that begs the question: why should it be more so at Christmas than on any other normal day?)

So, while it doesn't feel like Christmas at all because there is no snow, I am still thankful for this month of Christmas which follows a season of thanksgiving (at least in America it's a month long and follows Thanksgiving!) And now I'm praying for snow :-)

Christmas movies

Since technically Thanksgiving is over, but I'm still doing this, I am lucky. I get to be thankful for Christmas movies! Tonight, Erica bought Elf so we could watch it. So we did. Can I tell you, that movie is probably one of my favorite Christmas movies... I know, I'm nuts. But I love it. And the end usually makes me at least tear up a little... It's such a heartwarming story about a guy who just loves people, haha. I just love it. And I am so thankful that we got to watch it tonight :-)

mashed potatoes

Today, I am thankful for mashed potatoes. Yesterday, at the Fishnet Thanksgiving, I remembered and told about one year at Thanksgiving (possibly 2006), when we were "forced" to go around the table and say what we were thankful for, and my Aunt Lisa and I said we were thankful for mashed potatoes. I am pretty sure we were the 2 who were thankful for it. And I think my cousin Billy said he was thankful for the Orange Salad (which I am also thankful for, and wish I could have-hopefully this summer, I will make some, just so I can have some!). Anyway. We said it so we didn't have to say anything serious (why do we actually avoid saying things we are thankful for?) and because we just wanted to eat.

Well today I can tell you it's not just because I want to eat. I've eaten plenty today-and over the past 2 weeks. But there is something special about mashed potatoes. Or even just potatoes in general. They are wonderful, and I am thankful for them :-)

more

Today I am thankful for being able to celebrate Thanksgiving three times when I'm not able to be with my family. I haven't been able to actually celebrate Thanksgiving with my family since 2006. When I was in Philadelphia, I worked a full day the day before Thanksgiving, so I didn't have time to drive 8 hours-or more I didn't want to drive all of Thanksgiving day, only to get somewhere in time to eat, then probably run off to some other place. So I got to celebrate with one of my coworkers.

But even so, I miss my family's traditions. And I'm sad that this year I missed having Thanksgiving in my cousin's new house. But I got to celebrate Thanksgiving three times, each time with awesome people who have become like family. It has been wonderful :-)

winter jackets

So today I could tell you how having no dryer causes my clothes to dry slightly bigger than if I could put them in a dryer. But I'd rather tell you how thankful I am that I have warm clothes. Mostly my jacket is warm, but my clothes help to keep me warm, too. Last year, I managed to get through the winter in only a fall jacket (with many layers underneath it). This year, I brought my winter jacket from America back with me. It is much warmer, and yet I am wondering how I got through the winter with only a fall jacket. I guess you make due when you're desperate. But this year, I get a warm winter jacket. And it has a hood. It's fantastic. My gloves aren't so helpful, but I am so thankful that I have other stuff that keeps me warm-like a jacket :-)

Family

So today is the perfect day to be thankful for my family :-) It is the most popular answer, isn't it? I asked my cousin Nicole today what she was thankful for, and she definitely said her family-but in all fairness, I'm pretty sure she also said "everything" haha. I definitely understand her on that one!

Today, I got to talk to almost everyone in my family-but my immediate family, meaning my mom, dad and brother, I did get to talk to. By the time I got to talk to them, it was at least 10:30 here. Right now I'm exhausted, but I assure you I was no less exhausted when I talked to them an hour ago! But I am so thankful that I got to talk to them. Perhaps technology would be a better thing (is better actually the word I'm looking for here? maybe just more appropriate...) to be thankful for, since I wouldn't have been able to talk to them if the technology didn't exist.

Anyway, my family has definitely had its fair share of ups and downs. But I am thankful for all of them and that I had my family to go through them with. It wasn't always easy for any of us, but if it hadn't been what it was, I wouldn't be who I am, and I'm definitely thankful for that-most of the time :-)

I am also so thankful for how supportive my family is of every little crazy thing I want to do. When I wanted to go away for college, they supported me and helped me make it happen. When I wanted to move away from them to teach in Philly, they supported me and believed in me and were there to answer my phone calls when I called home crying after a rough day. And when I decided to follow God's call and pack up and move to the Czech Republic, they supported me then, too. And even now, when they don't necessarily like that I'm gone, they still support me and I am so thankful for that!

helping hands

Today, I'm thankful for helpers. What brought this on was that today I had a couple of girls over and they helped me cut apples for 3 apple pies. This was a tremendous help. While they did that, I was able to knock out the crusts for those 3 pies-well at least making them. I just got done putting them together not too long ago. I'll try baking them tomorrow, probably. But anyway. I have been so blessed in my life to have so many people who are willing to help. Of course probably one of my biggest faults is not wanting to accept the help-but I have to start giving up control at some point, right? Haha.

This reminds me of coming back to the Czech Republic in August. Did I ever tell you that 7 strangers helped me with my luggage between Maine and Ostrava? Yes, 7. This number, I think, is quite significant. But just to make sure I never forget, or always have somewhere to go to look for it, I'm going to chronicle it here for you now.

1) On my first flight, the man sitting next to me on the plane put my backpack in the overhead compartment.
2) On my second flight, the man sitting next to me took my backpack down from the overhead compartment.
3) Then, when I landed in Prague and got on the bus to the train station and because I had 2 suitcases, I was struggling to get everything on the bus and move back so everyone else could get on. So a girl brought one of my bags back for me.
4) Then I had one bag that was falling over, so the guy standing by the door offered to hold it for me so it didn't fall.
5) On the train, a man helped me get my bag down from the top rack.
6) When I was trying to get off the train, a child held the automatic door open for me so I could get all my stuff out.
7) At the train station in Ostrava, a man offered in Czech to take my bags downstairs for me. I told him I didn't understand, so he actually stood there and thought, then said it again and motioned to what he wanted. At this point, he said it slowly enough and with enough gestures that I understood and he took a suitcase in each hand and carried them down the 2 flights of stairs, only to turn around and walk back up them.

While they seem insignificant, and some are more difficult to remember than others, seven different people helped me when I needed help. And they didn't even know me. I am thankful for people who offer help, no matter how insignificant it may seem. I am also thankful for friends who are always willing to help.

the family you get to choose

Today I am thankful for family and my family-away-from-family. I have been blessed in my life to have had circumstances which caused me to accept so many as "family" and I have had so many "family" members for which I am truly thankful. Of course I am hugely thankful for my family, but I'll save them for another day. Right now, I am especially thankful for the "family" of friends I have here in Ostrava. From other ESI teachers, to other foreigners, to Czechs who have welcomed me as family, I am ever-blessed for such wonderful family. And I'm totally looking forward to Christmas day this year because of it :-) I think Christmas in general is going to be really awesome this year. I'm thankful for that, too!

Cross-cultural communication

Today I am thankful for just that - cross-cultural communication. And for being recognized. Though I have lived here in the Czech Republic for over a year, I am by no means fluent in Czech. In fact, I still only know a little bit, though I understand far more than I used to-and more than I can actually produce. That being said, I had a conversation today with our office manager, Květa, who speaks about as much English as I speak Czech. The conversation was in Czech. And it was about my transportation pass, or měsičník (I think that's how you spell it). It was interesting to learn about it and actually be able to communicate in my broken Czech and understand what Květa was saying.

And then tonight, I went to Albert. I have to be honest, my last few trips to Albert, our local grocery store, have been "pennies" particularly because of one cashier. We have been going to the same store about the whole time we have been here, and over that time, we have come to recognize the cashiers, since there are probably 10 at the most that we come into contact with. But one in particular has taken to greeting me with a smile, in a way that says "I recognize you and I'm glad you're here." I think she knows I don't speak much Czech. If she truly recognizes me, she knows this very well :-) But even when I'm not in her line, she will say hello to me and smile kindly. And tonight, I got to see her again. I look forward to the day that I can understand and answer her questions that are not the normal "Do you have (enter small number here) crowns" or "How many rolls?"I am pretty sure she said something about what I was buying, but I didn't understand enough to answer. Fortunately she said it more like a statement than a question, so she knew she wouldn't get an answer. In any case, she is super nice and I love going to the store and having her as my cashier.

There are still moments that catch me off guard, like when a guy was coming out the door of my building and his dog was barking and pulling on the leash, so he accidentally closed the door, rather than leaving it open for me. I understood that he said that it closed and sorry, but I couldn't think fast enough how to tell him it wasn't a problem. Oh well. I love that communicating is getting easier and easier every day that I am here. And I am so thankful that some things can be communicated across many cultures without words.

bottle drives

Today I am thankful for redemption. This word redemption has so many different meanings... well the meanings are all pretty much the same, but I guess what I mean is so many things can be redeemed. For example in Maine, and in other states in the US, you can take bottles and cans to a redemption center and get money for them (of course you pay a deposit on the bottle when it is purchased, and then you take it to the redemption center to get your money back).

But perhaps the redemption I am most thankful for is mine. I am thankful that I can be like a crappy old bottle that needs to be returned to the redemption center, and rather than allowing me to just sit in a can somewhere, waiting for more "bottles" which need to be redeemed, Jesus has already redeemed us, before we were even empty. When I was ready, at about 11 or 12, I was emptied of myself, and redeemed by Jesus. And now he fills me and uses me for something way beyond what I ever imagined. He melted me down and reshaped me. He redeemed me, and this is what I am most thankful for.

Pennies from Heaven

It's a fun song, and ties in to what I am thankful for today. This weekend, we have our ESI Thanksgiving conference, and among the TEFL training that we have had, we have also had other sessions, including worship and devotions. Last night, one of our teammates who teaches in Hungary talked about pennies. There was so much more to it than that-but basically it was about the small blessings that add up, and how they are like finding pennies. They may seem worthless at the time, but we should always be thankful for them. So today I am thankful for the pennies-the small blessings which I take for granted.

And today the penny I am most thankful for is a song being sung in four-part harmony. I love music. I love hearing music. And I love participating in music being made. And it's always wonderful to hear music in parts. I think, though, that the best is when there is a strong, deep bass to sing along with the group. There is something that sings in my soul when all four parts, especially the bass, is present. Which is your favorite part?

Technical difficulties

Due to Internet connectivity issues, I am writing a post for the first time using the app for my iPhone.

For today's post, I will mention how thankful I am for small reminders of good things, and for one seemingly small thing which makes my day-being recognized and remembered. I don't mean like being recognized for some reward, but like seeing someone you might see every day and have never talked to-but one day, that person smiles and says hello when she sees you. Or when your students each make a point to say hello. Or when even their parents say hello an smile even though you have so little contact with them. Seeing that person you actually only met once before but yet she remembers you and you get to chat a bit. Even in the grocery store when the cashier recognizes you. These simple things can mean so much!

were those gunshots?!

Tuesday evening, I was teaching a class and in the middle of the lesson, we heard a few loud popping sounds. I asked the class, "What was that?" And one of the students replied, "Someone killing someone." The tone in which it was told, you could tell they were obviously joking. The lesson continued and nothing else happened.

Fast forward to last night. I got home from a lesson and had to make a pie, so I started making it and realized that I didn't have enough butter to make it, so I had to trek back out to the store. On my way, I saw some teenagers (one of whom I recognized as a student of mine), who were probably actually only 12 or 13-maybe one or two were 14. Anyway, one of them appeared to have a cigarette in his hand, and something else, though I couldn't tell what. He took the other thing and kind of flung it toward the grass. About 30 seconds later, I heard a loud popping sound. I found the source of the "person killing someone"-fire crackers. It scared the tar out of me, no doubt, the first time I heard it. After that, it didn't scare me though.

But this brought me to realizing that my first thought, even in the moment that I knew it was a fire cracker, that it was a gunshot. I am not from Philadelphia, and I didn't live there long enough in a bad enough part of town to be used to hearing this on a regular basis, or to actually build up a reaction to it. But automatically my first thought was that it was a gun, and my instinct really was a "duck and cover" kind of instinct. Thinking about this made me realize that so many people live in neighborhoods where hearing actual gunshots is commonplace. Having at least one, if not more, family members shot and possibly killed by gunshots is normal. 

One more conversation happened today. One of the girls who teaches in Hungary was talking about how people say her city is not safe, but that you totally feel safe there-and I was telling her about how Ostrava is very similar. You mostly feel safe, but people will tell you that it's dangerous. Really, you just have to be careful which part you're in. All of these together, though, made me realize how thankful I am that I live in a safe city (or at least I feel safe there). I am thankful that I don't have to worry about being shot, and it's pretty rare that I would be attacked and other such things. I am so thankful for a safe, beautiful city to live in, where I have fabulous friends and people are wonderful.

it's so... wet

Today, I am thankful for water. I don't necessarily drink it as often as I should or as I used to. But I use it every day, and without it, I guarantee I'd at least feel a little lost. You can't wash your hands without it. You can't flush a toilet without it (though there are "toilets" which don't use it at all-I suppose you could use one of those.). You can't wash dishes without it. You can't quench your thirst without it. You can't really cook without it. According to cleanwaterfortheworld.org, every 15 seconds a child dies from a water-borne disease. And 1.1 billion people in the world lack access to clean water... that's about 1/6 of the people in the world. I am not part of that 17%. Today, I choose to be thankful for that.

To find out more about how to solve this problem and get clean water for the world, visit cleanwaterfortheworld.org, water.org, or google "world clean water access" and find a number of pages related to this topic.

Also, to let you know, I will be going out of town until Sunday. I will do my best to write while I am gone, but if I don't, I'll make sure to still post for those days once I get back.

winter is coming!

Today, I am thankful for heat. It's the middle of November, and you can definitely tell that winter is on its way, if it's not already here. The temperature just seems to get colder and colder every day-sometimes throughout the day. But I am so thankful that I can go home to a warm flat. It's nice to know that even though I can't feel my face or my fingers, soon I will be home and able to warm up. I don't fear that when I get home, things will be just as cold there. For this, I am thankful :-)

short and sweet

Today, I'm thankful for sleep. This weekend, I had a ton of fun and am super thankful for that. And today, I'm thankful for being able to rest. I get to go to bed in 2 minutes and sleep for at least 8 hours. And it will be fantastic :-) Apparently you can tell where my mind is, since yesterday and today I posted about sleep of some sort. Yesterday it was for naps, and today a long night's sleep... But they are different, for sure!

rest

I must say that today, I am thankful for naps. With all the commitments I had yesterday, I literally was going from the minute I woke up at 8:15 until I went to bed around 3 this morning. It was an awesome day of baking, learning how to bake Czech cookies, practicing and speaking Czech, and partying. But, since this morning started at 8 (though I hit the snooze 3 times before I even realized it was going off, so I should have been up at 7:30), I have been tired. But after church, I came home and then I took a nap. And it was fabulous. I haven't taken a nap in forever. I rarely take them, though Sundays tend to be the best days for them. I woke up still tired, but I had rehearsal tonight, so it was ok. Of course now I'm not so tired, but I must go to bed :-)

silver and gold

Today (I'm writing for Saturday here), I am thankful for meeting new people. I have already said how thankful I am for my friends. I have been blessed with wonderful friends. And it's been tempting to again write about how much I like them. And today, I'm thankful for meeting new people-not quite friends yet, but people to potentially add to the friends I have. Being an extrovert, I get energy from being with people. So in my opinion, the more the merrier!

it's the little things

Today, I am thankful of the little reminders of home, whether it's remembering that it's Veteran's Day because of Facebook (Thank you to all the Veterans out there, including my grandfather, my dad and several friends, as well as to their families), or an American film or tv show, or even going to the grocery store and finding that they now sell Oreos here. I'm so thankful for the little things that help to make this feel like it's my home.

Welcome back to our 11th installment of what Jess is thankful for, 2011.

I am thankful for... family. I am so thankful for people who care about me and love me and take care of things for me while I am gone from the country. Things haven't always been just peachy, but we have had some fun memories and even witnessed some fine miracles (hey, if driving across the US and no one dying isn't a miracle, I don't know what is). Together, we have been all over the US, including living in Hawaii (that was just horrible, as I'm sure you can imagine, lol). But we always had each other. We didn't always get along, but we were together.

Now-a-days my family looks different than it used to-there are new members grafted in, relationships which have been redefined. But perhaps that makes me all the more thankful for everyone I consider family. So thanks to my family for being so wonderful :-)

Easily amused

Today I am thankful for what some (or maybe most) would consider rather silly. I am thankful for blogger and the various tracking methods it uses. I am thankful that I can see that I have friends from all over the world who read, or at least have read, my blog. I'm having a hard time figuring out who from Russia is reading my blog. If you want to tell me who you are, feel free :-)

I am able to see when the best time is to post that I've updated my blog-well ok, I haven't mastered this yet, but there was one night that I had 73 views-that was incredible to me. I have learned that there are people in 9 countries who have read my blog-the US and the CZ have the biggest numbers, but then I've had people read from Russia, North Africa (I know the country, but it will remain nameless to protect those who have read-thanks for reading!), Germany, Liberia, Vietnam and Azerbaijan. Before last year, I had never even heard of Azerbaijan! I hope to add more countries, but that means I need to meet more people, hahaha (I won't lie, I do kind of wish that they broke down the US by state-but oh well!).

I have learned that 57% of my readers have read from a Windows operating system, while only 24% have read from a Mac operating system. Then others use either Android, iPhone or iPod. And possibly the biggest surprise of all-27% of the views come from Internet Explorer. And interestingly Safari is used more than Chrome. I will take this opportunity to recommend Chrome-though I suppose one of the biggest draws for me is that it will translate whole webpages-I guess it wouldn't be useful for many of you. It's incredibly useful for me, though :-) I even learned about a new operating system (well new to me) called RockMelt, as well. Oh, and "sites" are sending people to my blog, but when I try to find out what they are, they are just junk types of pages. That's fascinating to me... wonder what the real story is. Anyway, I am sure this information is not interesting at all to you, but I am thankful for it-or at least some of it :-)

what would you do if time were currency?

I saw an interesting movie tonight with Erica. In Time is a science fiction film where time is currency. The main character, Will, lives in "the ghetto" where people live day to day. When your clock runs out, you "time out" (or die). I won't ruin the film for you, in case you want to see it, but I'll recommend it, saying that it made me re-evaluate what I do with my time, as well as how I view wealth.

So today, I'm thankful for time. So often, I complain about having none, but in the big scheme of things, I have plenty. And even if I don't, I can't complain because we all are given the same amount of time. Ultimately, it's how we use it that matters. When Will is given a large amount of time, a message is left for him which says, "Don't waste my time." This made both Erica and I think about how God is like the character which gave his time as a gift to Will, and how God doesn't want us to waste His time. So anyway, I am thankful for the time I have been given, for the time I have spent here in the Czech Republic, as well as every other place I've been and will be in my life. I just hope I don't waste it.

...delicious...

So I'll write a little something a little early in comparison to every other day before today. But for now, I have time, so I will tell you what I am thankful for. I am thankful for some ability to cook. For me, cooking is in some ways a stress reliever. I don't mind spending 2 hours cooking dinner after working all day long (at least not most nights), and in fact, I usually enjoy it. Cooking is therapeutic for in some way. And so, I say I am thankful for at least some ability to cook because if I couldn't cook and enjoyed it this much, life might not be so enjoyable (though one could also argue I might not enjoy it so much, either! hehe). So tonight, after making bacon and eggs for dinner, I think about how much cooking (or actually baking) I will be doing in the next few weeks, and how much cooking I'd like to do. It makes me smile. Cakes, pies, cookies-I can't wait. I'd also like to get some fudge in there. And hopefully I'll be cooking more dinner-and possibly a thanksgiving dinner... maybe. It makes me happy. The only thing I worry about is not having enough time all at once to actually get everything done in :-)

power

I am thankful for music. Music has the power to heal. It gives a voice to the deepest, most sorrowful groanings of your soul. It evokes memories. There are songs I hear and I can vividly remember a time I heard that song-where I was and who I was with. I can't even put into words exactly why I am thankful for music. Perhaps this quote from outside an old opera house best sums it up, "... God gave us music that we might pray without words."

a fiery beauty

Today I was thankful for several things. As always, I was thankful for my friends-I had a great day and night with many of them! But the one I'll write about today (since I already wrote about friends anyway) is for fall. Today, we had beautiful fall weather! This year, our fall has been rather dry-though typically fall in Ostrava is pretty wet. I remember that last year I was somewhat disappointed with the fall because the colors weren't as vibrant as they are in New England. But this year, probably mostly due to the fact that it has been pretty dry, we have had a gorgeous fall. The leaves have been all colors from red to yellow to orange. My favorite, though I didn't take a picture, was of one tree that looked very much like there was fire in its branches, because of the way it went from yellow to red. My favorite color of all is this red color that leaves turn. So this year, I have been so thankful that I have been able to partake in the beauty that is the fall. And for today's gorgeous weather in general.

it's good for the soul

Many things can be said about what I am thankful for today. It's good for the soul, it's good medicine, it's the shortest distance between two people, it's an instant vacation. Today I am thankful for... laughter. In fact, in trying to find the perfect quote about laughter, I found a Yiddish proverb which says, "What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." And Kurt Vonnegut compared laughter and crying saying, "Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion.  I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward."  On a similar note, Puzant Kevork Thomajan said, "A hearty laugh gives one a dry cleaning, while a good cry is a wet wash." I have no idea who Puzant Kevork Thomajan is, but I agree with both him and Kurt Vonnegut. 


More than being thankful for laughter, today I'm thankful for my "instant vacation" multiple times today. I love to laugh, and it's even better when there are several opportunities to partake in the good medicine, the medicine for the soul, multiple times a day.

bumps

Only my fourth day in, and I'm already encountering bumps. Or at least one. All day, I have been thinking about what I can write about, what I am thankful for today. This is not to say that I am not thankful for anything. I am thankful for many things, but what should I mention today? The past few days, there have been recurring themes throughout each day, so I know just what to be thankful for, or what to write about. Sitting here now, I am realizing that my theme for today is just not as "happy" as I expected. In fact, it's something I'm pretty sure I have blogged about recently, too.

Today, I am thankful for the bumps, the trials, the difficult times. I am thankful for every bump, jostle, trial, and difficult time I have been through, and this is for a couple of reasons. One reason is because, just like my friends, each bump along the way has shaped my life into what it is today-a beautiful, crazy life. If not for each difficult time, I would not be the person I am today.

I am also thankful for the hard times because without them, I wouldn't be able to recognize the good times. This year isn't as peachy as last year. Don't get me wrong, in it's own way, this year has been amazing, and I anticipate that as this year continues, it will also continue to be amazing. But in many ways last year was better. But I know when I get out of this slump, or the next one, that the good times to follow will be that much better. If I didn't have tough times, I wouldn't be able to fully enjoy the good times though. So today, I'm thankful for them-the hard times, the bad times, the rough times. After all, if a caterpillar didn't have to fight to get out of its cocoon, it wouldn't make it out as a beautiful butterfly.

You re-ignite my flame

On the days that it feels as if the whole world is against me, blowing out what flame is left on my candle, I am reminded just how blessed I am to have such wonderful friends (and I am joyfully reminded without having such a day). Which brings us to our third edition of Giving Thanks 2011. Today, I am thankful for the wonderful friends that I have been blessed with. I don't mean I'm only thankful for the wonderful ones. I mean I'm thankful for all of them and all of them are wonderful. Each of my friends adds a different dynamic to my life. Some friends are newer, some are older. Some are closer friends, and others I don't know as well. Snail mail, email, sms, phone calls, packages, small gifts, large gifts-you've all blessed me in some way through one or more of these. Over dinner, on a road trip, through skype, via facebook. These are only a few of the mediums in which I have stayed in touch with them, but each friend I have I can say has touched my life in some way. I am so thankful for each and every one of you.

Today, this came to mind because I began my day learning a secret (that will soon be shared with all-and what a wonderful secret to be told!!!), then I was totally crazy discombobulated and changed the time I was meeting with a friend about 100 times and she was totally cool with it every time. Then I got to talk to one of my awesome friends (one who occasionally likes to give me a kick in the pants when I need it-which is more often than I care to admit.). And I saw today that my blog has been read by my friends in 7 different countries! When I think about all the awesome opportunities I have had, even the past 2 weeks, to be with my awesome friends, I've been to basketball games, gone shopping, been out to eat, been to a restaurant hanging out with friends while they eat, watched an american football game, learned secrets, told secrets (my own, don't worry), and had deep, meaningful conversations. And this only touches the surface of how wonderful my life is because of my friends.

Thank you for being my friend and for sharing life with me :-)

perfect timing

Day number 2-I'm on a roll :-)

All day, I have been thinking about what I was thankful for that I could write about today-which is my point. I want to focus about the good things rather than the bad. And a number of things came up for which I am thankful.

But what I am thankful for, that which I will write about today, is something that I am not always thankful for but should be. I am thankful for God's timing... or God's time. There are very many times that I get frustrated with His timing because things don't happen when I want them to (inner 5 year old, anyone?). But today I was infinitely thankful for it. Going into today, I thought that it would be one long crazy hectic day. I dreaded it because of this, and couldn't wait for it to be over. But my doctor's appointment did not take as long as I had anticipated which gave me time to go home and eat lunch. Excellent. Then I went to my lessons-we celebrated Halloween. Yay! I rushed to the Fishnet office to make the copies I needed for my class which was changed to today from yesterday. The copies were made so quickly I hardly believed I actually got them all-I thought for sure I missed something. And I was ready for my lesson 5 minutes early! When the first of my students arrived, he said that his colleague had an unexpected business trip, so he would not be in the lesson, and so he only wanted a half hour lesson, rather than the hour. This gave me time to get to my next lesson with plenty of time. It was wonderful the way everything worked out today. God's time and timing are perfect. And even though I complain about his time and timing too often, I'm also thankful for the reminder today of just how perfect God's plan is :-)