Grateful. Happy. Thankful.

I try to count my blessings quite often, and I have to admit, life is beautiful. Here is a list of the people and things that make life so much fun:

**I am thankful for my family. My husband makes me laugh daily; my children work hard to be good people, and I grow closer with them each day; and my dogs simultaneously give me peace and chaos. My home is loud. My home is love.

 

**I am thankful for my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We were and still are surrounded by the love and laughter of family.

**I am thankful for my friends. I work, live by, and connect with amazing people on the daily. My friends make me want to be a better person. They are simply brilliant in mind and spirit. 

**I am very thankful to be a teacher. Each day is a creative project in humanity. I get to talk about writing and literature with brilliant thinkers. My students teach me often, whether it be technology, what it’s like to be a teen right now, or some of the latest slang. (As long as I promise not to use it.) Teenagers are the coolest. 

**I am thankful for literature. I swim around in the classics and learn new things about the world, and I can pick up the latest novels to gain interesting perspectives.

**To piggyback on literature, I am very thankful for poetry. It was my first love back when I wrote about my Rad Dad in 4th grade. I love how each poem I read shifts my appreciation for language, and each poem I write makes me feel lighter. “Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful.” Rita Dove

**I am thankful for live music. My senior year of high school introduced me to the inner workings of live music. The musicians I was lucky enough to know showed me how incredible it was to play an instrument in harmony with others. It is an absolute gift to be able to see people perform live music, and it is not lost on me how hard that is.

 

 

**I am thankful for bedtime. Sweet, sweet bedtime.

**I am thankful for the quiet that is 5:15-6:00 am at my house. Although I wouldn’t be up this early if I didn’t have to be, it is nice to get centered before a day of teenage English classes.

**I am thankful for laughter. Our brain likes it when we laugh, and it helps us to live longer. A good girlfriend session is the best cure for what ails me. 

**I am thankful for yoga and running and movement.

**I am thankful for storytelling. Kelly and I have found a way to continue our version of storytelling, and I am forever grateful that my friend signed on with me in this journey of creativity.

We are thankful for our readers. We cannot possibly tell you how much your support means to us. Each comment and share is a connection with another person who understands what it’s like to care for family. We are forever grateful for your support. We cannot say it enough. Happy Thanksgiving, Family Footnote Friends.