This has been a hard week to be thankful.  Work problems feel daunting right now and I’m having a hard time not being discouraged.  In times like this, this seemingly little habit of keeping track of things to be grateful for has become a saving grace.  Rumbling around in my head is 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks.”  It’s a posture that’s hard for me to take, but maybe that’s when I need it most.

This week I’m thankful for…

• going on an engagement shoot with my stepdad-I learned so much about light!
• lazy Saturday mornings in bed with the hubby
• my stepbrother who is at the beginning of  a big adventure building schools in Ecuador
• clear, wintery nights in the hot tub
• reading in bed
• the little one who wrote a poem for the pocket chart work station called “School Rocks!”
• “The Burning Bush” by Jericho Brown.  It compels me to continue standing up for what is best for children.

Now, I have a voice. Entered, I am lit.
Remember me for this sprouting fire,
For the lash of flaming tongues that lick
But do not swallow my leaves, my flimsy
Branches. No ash behind, I burn to bloom.
I am not consumed. I am not consumed.