- for my awesome children (even during the 20% of the time that they get on my last nerds)
- for my awesome husband (even during the 8% of the time that he gets on my last nerds)
- for my mom and dad who should teach classes on how to be divorced with grace
- for the little girl who will one day become my daughter
- my grandparents- especially my grandmothers who amaze me continually
- my in-laws (okay- most of them :-) Just- kidding. All of them!)
- the MRG's- the best group of friends a girl could ask for
- Jess- who has been my BFF since college and still can listen to me rant like a champ
- diet Pepsi
- enough food in our stomachs and a warm house and more that enough clothes and shoes
- for my husband's job and the security it provides
- reality television
- the Internet
- for books- especially children's books
- for Our Family In Africa and Jabu Africa who are doing such good work for children in DRC
- for the convenience of cell phones and how they make our world so small (but buy used- conflict minerals, you know!)
- for Christmas music... and novelty rap music
- to be an American and for the people who fought for my freedoms
- for the blogging community
- my minivan which not only gets me where I need to go but also makes me oh so cool
- for Jesus and my freedom to follow him (I should move this up the list, duh)
- for whoever invented cobbler, brownies, and pie
- for people who work in the social services fields advocating for children
- to have enough money to pay my bills every month
- to have access to food any time I want it
- for cheese
- for board games and the hours of family fun they provide. Hello Yahtzee!
- for little children snuggles that are now freely given, especially those we fought hard for years to get
- for medical care and a rockin' pediatrician
- for our big crazy yellow beast of dog, Emma
- for a backyard and a neighborhood where my kids can run safely
- for my family photos. They are so cherished.
- for my bathtub and the stress relief it provides.
- for babysitters who will take on three (and soon to be four!) children
- for cartoons to entertain the children when I need a minute- or lots of minutes
- for public school and the great teachers that my children have there and the blessings of a free education
- that my children have a church they love and a program they think is awesome to go to on Wednesday nights
- that the door on my bathroom locks so that for at least 10 minutes a day, I can get some privacy
- for the people who love and encourage me every day with their kind words
- for antidepressants
- for vulnerability and the unlikely friendships it creates
- for date nights that come few and far between but are always lovely when we get them
- for one on one dates with each of the children- even if it's just to the grocery store
- for therapists who have given my children so much time to help them be the best that they can be
- for our son's psychologist who helped us sooth some of his demons and make him (mostly) whole again
- for chocolate
- for my children's friends who are all such good kids
- for neighbors who will give you a cup of sugar or a listening ear or help you corral kids in the back yard
- for the opportunity to travel and take vacations on a regular basis
- for my microwave
- that I've learned (for the most part) to be okay with my own weaknesses
- for growing up in a small town
- to have been able to go to college without debt
- for email
- that I can usually laugh about it when really crappy things happen
- that I live in a place where we get to experience all four seasons
- for Eron (a little girl that I met briefly in DRC) who has changed so much about the way I live and think about life and my mission and purpose in caring for the fatherless
- for my dad's and my granny's farms and how walking around there makes me feel like I'm free
- for Facebook- which seems dumb, but is so very awesome for keeping people connected
- for the occasional cards and letters that still come by snail mail
- the opportunity to volunteer at some great places and for some great causes
- the kindness of strangers
- that I have so many things to look forward to and that life is excited and fresh each morning
- that one of the things my children do well each night is go to sleep. Somehow we've managed to get three children that go right to bed when it's time without a fight. It's one of the biggest blessings ever.
- for my bout with depression because it has made me stronger and more empathetic to people
- for life. My mom was a pregnant teen and could have chosen a different path. I'm glad she didn't.
- that my husband eventually said yes when I came to him and told him I wanted to adopt- even though it had never been on his radar
- for how adoption and being a part of the adoption community has changed me for the better
- for the opportunity to get to share our passion for orphans issues on a regular basis in front of lots of different people
- for our health
- that my parents, grandparents and even a great grandparent are still alive
- that there are times that I can go days and days without ever having to get out of my sweatpants
- that we made it through that first year with Miles and that attachment disorders did not eat us alive
- that we made it through the roughest years of sensory processing disorder with Noah and actually went on to add another kid despite knowing that kids can sometimes screams for years on end
- that I am not defined by my mistakes and for friends and family that are always willing to forgive me when I screw up
- that I have a husband who loves me unconditionally even though I am not the skinny girl he married and I am not always loving or even very nice
- for Pandora and how much cool music it brings into my life
- that my children are learning to give back and that they enjoy it
- that I am a morning person and can get my kids off to school without feeling like too much of a zombie
- that all my children are potty trained and that we are sooooo done with diapers in this house
- that I feel safe in my own house and don't have to worry about wars happening outside my front door
- for earplugs- which have single handedly allowed me to sleep and have kept me from having to get divorced
- that Noah is such a constant source of humor in my life
- that when I turn on the tap, clear, clean water free of parasites comes out
- for candy corn
- for hair color that helps me hang onto my youth and keeps me from being prematurely gray
- to have a house, that while cramped, provides everything we need
- for the laughter of children running around in my living room
- for the freedom of expression that allows me to say anything I want on this space
- that I had cousins to grow up with
- for text messaging and marathon texting sessions with my besties
- for my high school youth group
- that I have parents who tried their best to give me as many experiences as they could
- for a family who values education
- that I will never have to know the pain of choosing to leave my child at an orphanage because poverty renders me unable to care for them
- for my Mamaw's homemade sourdough and banana bread and the love she puts into making it
- that even at times when we've had no money in the bank, we've always had each other
- for pansies in the spring and mums in the fall
- for a God who loved me so much that he sent his son to die for me. Do you know him?
- for this day. Happy Thanksgiving!
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