AND OTHER THINGS . . .

... for which I am thankful.

1. Salvation.
2. Never having to worry about what to eat, what to wear, where to live.
3. Excellently comfortable jeans that make me feel like a hot mama.
4. Learning new things about myself and my family.
5. Conversations in which my parents and I speak to each other like adults and friends.
6. Conversations in which Cheech and I either (a) are not fighting; or (2) are not talking about bowel movements.
7. Heat.
8. Robert Downey, Jr.
9. Pecan pie and vanilla bean ice cream.
10. The first snow of the season.
11. Staying up late and not letting go because heck, you just don't have to.
12. The Container Store.
13. Redefining friendship and realizing that family is still family, no matter what.
14. Chief Justice Roberts not being a total wacko.
15. The fact that several good movies are on the horizon after what seems an eternity of crap-o-la films.
16. Coffee.
17. Airplanes and the ability to fly on them to see loved ones.
18. JetBlue and their enormous tray of endless snacks.
19. Wool socks.
20. An honourable father.
21. Eyelash curlers.
22. Books.
23. David Crowder.
24. Burt's Bees lip balm.
25. Satisfying poos.
26. The Noodles running into my arms, crying out my name and giggling.
27. That I have the mouth and heart with which to pray for the ones I love.
28. The slow but sure recovery of the Gulf Coast.
29. The inability to forget.
30. Salt.
31. Mittens.
32. "Lost."
33. The colour red.
34. Trust, and that He helps me to do it.
35. Leftovers, which always taste better the next day.
36. Friends who remind me that I don't have to be alone, even when I didn't anticipate being lonely.
37. Sudafed.
38. Reminders and heart pangs that tell me that I haven't gone totally cynical and jaded yet.
39. Anticipation.
40. The fact that it's in the 70s on the Wrong Coast and I will be there soon.
41. That crepes are so easy to make and taste oh-so-heavenly.
42. My imagination and that it is understood by the select few who matter.
43. High ceilings.
44. Home Depot.
45. Hearing a friend's voice and feeling the love as strong as ever.
46. That my girls and I can speak volumes to each other with a simple raise of the eyebrow or twitch of the lips.
47. That a huge favor is not a favor at all but a pleasure.
48. Will Ferrell.
49. The generosity of strangers.
50. That I am alive and breathing now, in these times, in this place, with these people.