i am thankful for...

My goal was to list 10 things but I came up with far more than that.

* A wonderful home away from home and a family stand-in. Thanks to the Harris'.
* Spending Thanksgiving day on Beck Lake at The Andersons' cozy log cabin. The setting was amazing. There are a total of 3 or 4 houses on this fairly large lake and none of them visible from their cabin. The lake was frozen over with a couple inches of snow on top. I always wanted to walk out into the middle of a lake and Thanksgiving day I got to do that. The house was full of friends: new and not-so-new. The food was scrumptious. I remember sitting in a rocking chair by the big picture window, just observing: Jeff and Cassie sitting on the sofa looking at the Alaska picture book; Laura, Judy and Kris in the kitchen cooking and getting ready; Ian sleeping in another rocking chair with Kodiak at his feet; Al, Glen and Ron out in the sunroom/entry, more than likely talking about guy-things; a couple others round the eggnog bowl; and still a couple others in the cozy upstairs tv room watching a movie; then the phone rang. It was my family calling me from Topeka, Kansas. It was a classic Alaskan Thanksgiving. Yet another postcard moment. Click the picture for a slideshow of some of my favorite pics from that day.
* Walk the Line, a movie about love - a man's love for music, and his relentless attempt at pleasing his dad, but mostly about a woman's love for her man. The depth of June's love for Johnny hit me hard. She loved him through the really hard stuff, the stuff that's ugly and hard. She gently pushed him into it and she pressed into it with him.
* The time available to spend several cathartic hours (nearly all night) by the fire, feet propped on the hearth, afghan in my lap, hot tea in my hand, Celtic Christmas music softly playing in the background, two dogs at my feet, nothing to think about but my date. There's something quietly restorative about sitting for hours, listening to the "snap, crackle, pop" of a wood fire and just being present. Letting him tell me that this is all he wants for me - a life of quiet contentment in my heart, and that I can have that with him.
* Pollo and Raphie - Apollo, the 9 year old, 90 lb Boxer and Raphael, the Whippet puppy - who have lent my heart much joy this weekend and without whom my feet would be cold.
* Sleeping 'til 11am and not scraping my lazy self from the bed until 11:30 or so.
* Having a nice, extended break from school.
* Man from Snowy River marathons. Thanksgiving night, after we got back from the Lake us girls all gathered together to watch The Man from Snowy River and Return to Snowy River - two of the greatest movies ever. They've always been some favorites of mine. I would love to live a cowboy's lifestyle: saddling up one of many horses and riding through the mountains whenever I feel like it, spending nights by the bonfire with strangers - either them at your's or you at their's, living a romantic life.
* Family meals around the table, night after night. This is something I have missed in my life lately.
* The snow. Thick blankets of white, beautiful, elegant snow coating the ground.
* In about 3 weeks I will get to see my family and friends back home. I can't wait! I just have to get through finals... I'm not too worried though.
* Friends - current and past, those I have met and those I haven't yet. You have all left footprints on my heart and changed me in some way.
* Tomorrow I get to make my famous, special-recipe green bean casserole. Mmm-mmm good!
* That I get to live here, in this beautiful place and study God. I said it before, I will say it again I get to live in a postcard and I can't get over it. God blesses me daily through his creation.
* Books like God Thinks You Are Wonderful and You are Special by Max Lucado. Read them!
* Getting back to campus last night I realized how much I missed everyone and hugged everyone I saw. And when several people told me they missed me too my heart was warmed!
* Lotion. It's rather shallow maybe but not to me. It's very dry here. And without lotion I would be just one huge chunk of cracked and bleeding skin.

My friend has this quote on her blog and I love it, so I am stealing it. Thank you, God, for this good life and forgive us if we do not love it enough. ~ Garrison Keillor