What a cat, counseling and Christmas have in common.

Part of the problem of being in a Masters of Counseling program AND blogging is that at any given moment I'm thinking about 3 and a half different things.  What to say?  Sometimes I just want to turn off the barrage of "what about this" "why is that" "what if we could" "I wish that" "this is really."  So in an effort to summarize and celebrate this season of my life, I'm going to share what I'm thankful for.

I am thankful for my quiet apartment, and tall ceilings that echo that Ella and Bing.

I am thankful for the fat feline I reside with, whose angry meows signaling he's noticed my absence, are a welcoming reality after cold and tiring days.

I am thankful to be a safe person for other people and that I have safe people in my own life.

I am thankful for God's grace and to having an increasing understanding of how I'll never understand its complexities.

I am thankful for classroom experiences in this counseling program in which I know I'm treading on holy ground and everything else that matters just fades away.

I am thankful that I know others who share my story and have found the courage I'm just getting a peek at.

I'm thankful for friends with children that teach and inspire me what it means to love and sacrifice and adore someone.

I'm thankful for crockpots and Christmas movies.

I'm thankful that I am in a position to help others that have not been as fortunate as myself in a variety of ways.

I'm thankful for my family; their love, their quirks, their concern and investment in me.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to travel, explore, reflect, and reunite with my sister for an entire week over Thanksgiving.

I'm thankful for the security I have in Christ; that I have an anchor in the midst of external turmoil.

I'm thankful that I hardly have to worry about my safety or the safety of my family.

I'm thankful that I both have insurance and am healthy enough to not need it very often.

Finally, I am thankful to understand the depth of meaning in Christmas, that I don't feel lost in the midst of commercialism, that I find strength, hope, and community during the season of advent.