I have a lot to be thankful for this year. As I embarked on a two mile walk around my neighborhood this gorgeously mild Thanksgiving morning, I reflected on all of the opportunities I have been afforded and all of the blessings I have received this year. In no particular order ... here is what I am thankful for this year:
- Graduate School. I am five months away from graduation, and about 100 hours away from successfully completing my internship! I have met some extraordinary individuals, and I have challenged myself to grow as a leader ... in my thinking and my actions ... throughout my participation in this program. However I am TRULY grateful for a debt free education. Last night I calculated how much my program costs the average student, and it's approximately $20,000. Praise be to God that my employer paid for 90% of my graduate course expenses. As I lament over the undergraduate debt that still remains for me, I cry out to the heavens in thanksgiving that I did not add on to my debt in my pursuit of this graduate degree.
- My Career. My fifth year of teaching nearly drove me to quit. I think back to the months of April, May and June and recall vividly the pit of despair I found myself at the bottom of. I literally hit rock bottom. However, in my decision to take a summer off from working [and by the grace of God], I found a way to pull myself out of that pit and get back onto my two feet. That journey ... that experience ... forever changed who I am as an individual, as a teacher, as a colleague and my perspective on difficult times. Today, as I approach the middle of my sixth year of teaching, I am grateful for falling down six times, and standing back up seven. I am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the children I teach. I am ever thankful for the individuals I have met during my teaching journey. I am blessed beyond measure for my colleagues, the lessons they teach me and how they challenge me to grow. I am blessed to have had a third opportunity to work with this special group of students I am teaching. To change the course of each of their little lives forever. I am thankful for the lessons my students teach me ... about humility, honesty and consistency. I am grateful to have yet another opportunity to do what I love to do ... teach!
- My Family. I cherish the relationships I have with many of my family members ... from my Grandfather and Grandmother, to my sister and brother, to two of the most important people in my life: my parents. Within my family, lies so much support and encouragement. So much unconditional love. These individuals keep me humble. They keep me grounded. They remind me of who I am and what I aspire to be, when I get lost in the fog of this world. They keep me laughing and they help me remember what's truly important in this world, when the stresses of life get me down. I am so fortunate to not only have such a big, loving family ... but to be so close to many of my family members. I could not make it through the ups and downs of life without each of them by my side.
- My friends. As I've grown older, I have grown a part from several of my friends. Life's course has taken each of us in different directions. Nonetheless, it's an incredible testament of friendship and commitment when you can follow the path home into the uplifting and encouraging arms of dear friends. Friends who have seen you at your best and who have loved you at your worst. Friends who can sing the lyrics of the song, you have forgotten, back to your heart. I praise God for my dear friends from high school with whom I still keep in touch regularly, for my dear friends from my collegiate years, and my dear friends from my adult life. Each friend - from each stage of life - I hold dear and near in my heart. And although we do not always see eye to eye, and many of them drive me nuts much of the time, I am grateful for our sisterhood ... our ties that go deep into our younger years ... ties that link us together presently as we grow, change and take to new paths in our adult years.
- My boyfriend. I have learned so much on this journey with him. So much about myself. About how to love again. About how to live. I am grateful for the ups and downs in our relationship. Each experience is shaping me into the individual I need to be. Michael thank you for your honesty, and uncanny sense of humor. Thank you for teaching me how to slow down and live life in the present. Thank you for challenging me to be Christina, an individual who is defined by her interests and hobbies ... not by her 9 to 5 job. Thank you for introducing me to new things that I had never explored before .... whether it be music, television, food or experiences. And thank you for making the effort ... working on yourself ... and truly listening to me when I share with you the depths of my heart. This has been one hell of a journey together ... but I appreciate every moment, every kiss, every laugh, and every minute I get to spend by your side.
- My life. This has been an incredible year. I have grown tremendously. In heart. In mind. In spirit. I am full of thanksgiving for each of the opportunities I've been afforded. I thank God for the many blessings he has given me and the provisions he has made. 2015 has been the ride of the century! I am so glad for the people in my life, having all that I need and getting to know myself so much better over the course of this last year. My only wish is that this Holiday season be full of love, laughter and quality time with the people I hold near and dear to my heart.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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