The Annual Post-Thanksgiving-Ruminations Post

Each year at this time, I take stock of things and look back in order to look forward. Sometimes I just stop and look right here in the present. From my previous post, you can see that I have had quite the year in my personal life. So for this particular post, I have decided to look at the here and now, and then maybe take a peek at the future. Maybe. Or at least paint a picture of what I am hoping for.

Let me begin by saying that I am thankful for a great many things. Way too many to name here (translation: I'm too lazy to type it all out), but here are just a few:

• I am deeply thankful for my children. Cody, Jenna, and Katie represent the very best parts of me (what few there are). Watching them grow up into the young man and women they are becoming has truly been the highlight of the last 20 years. 
• I am thankful for my best friend Jay. No human on earth has ever been there for me as much as he. I cannot imagine my life without him in it, nor do I want to.
• I am thankful for my parents and sisters. Dysfunctional as we are, we have always had each other's backs. For the record, I no longer believe that I was adopted. Haha!
• I am thankful for my work. When I look back 20 years ago and remember where I thought my career path was headed, I never expected to be where I am right now. That said, I am deeply grateful for where I am now. I love teaching at Tech. The students challenge me to be better, and hopefully, I do the same for them. I do try. I am thankful to be at Jamestown Coffee Co. I saw it when it was only on paper, and to be a part of it for this long has been a real honor. The coffee! Oh, the coffee! Not to mention, I work with some of the most awesome people I have ever encountered. They are like family to me. 
• I am thankful to be back in school. Walden University is an answer to prayer for me. 
• I am thankful for the years I spent in the ministry. It has taken me awhile to say that. 
• I am thankful for my circle of friends. Each and everyone of my peeps have been a mainstay in my very unstable life. No matter where I am, I know I can always call them friend. 
• I am very thankful that God has seen fit to place the most amazing woman on earth in my path. After two failed marriages, I dropped out of the race for good. Then one day, Laura Moore walked back into my life. My former therapist was wrong. There IS magic. I am in love. I like it.
• Lastly, but not least, I am thankful for my faith. Somehow it has sustained me, and continues to do so. I am not the right wing conservative I used to be, but I am at a wonderful place in my walk. It's like starting fresh and looking for my next path.

It's okay to be thankful. I still have a long way to go, but at least I am on my way.