Wow! It's hard to imagine having written 400 posts. Actually, I have put off writing this one for quite some time because I thought that I really "should" write something profound and important to mark the occasion. With that pressure, I soon discovered that it would remain unwritten.
So, I think that the most honest thing I can do is, in honor of Thanksgiving (coming up soon), to mark the occasion with gratitude. I will begin a list of all of the things that I am thankful for this season. It won't be all inclusive as I am certain to leave some things out.
For what it's worth, here goes: I am grateful for
1. the God of the universe
2. Christ, the son of the living God and the savior of my soul
3. the Church, the body of Christ and the believers there
4. My parents, who have given me a stable, Christian upbringing
5. My parents for adopting my brother late in life
6. My brother for being his goofy self! Love him bunches!
7. For Georgia Agape, the adoption agency from our church.
8. My husband for being my best friend and putting up with me
9. DS13 for being his quirky, autistic self that I love so much
10. DS11 for being his inquisitive self. I love him bunches even when he wheezes with asthma
11. that God has a sense of humor and gave me two boys when I thought I was getting two girls.
12. that the doctors were wrong that I wouldn't get pregnant
13. that hubby is hands-on with the kids and not at all emotionally absent
14. that my parents are wonderful grandparents who spend quantity time with the boys
15. that Nathan survived school and arrived home from Orlando, which he didn't enjoy
16. that God brought hubby to me in his own time and in his own way
17. that God brought the boys to me in his own time and in his own way
18. that I have been able to receive such a good academic education
19. that I have been able to receive sound Biblical teaching throughout my life
20. that I can read my very own Bible
21. that I can write many things and communicate with ease
22. that I have a blog
23. that anyone even reads my blog
24. that we make enough money that even when times are really tight, God makes sure that we are okay
25. that in this horrible economy, hubby's job is secure
26. that we have the photography business on the side for a little extra income
27. that our ladies group at church is doing some wonderful service projects
28. that our ladies group at church started back up in order to do service for others
29. that my job is secure in this economy
30. that even if we are losing our school building, God is opening up new doors for us
31. that God has blessed our school, even when we haven't recognized that we were being blessed!
32. so many good, Christian colleagues and friends that I wouldn't have known except through school.
33. that I can teach and that I realized later in life that God would help me to do it.
34. that I truly love my students
35. that I have students who drive me batty sometimes
36. to know that I have made a positive impact on a student's life, even if I may not personally be aware of it.
37. that I can stop class to pray with or for a student or colleague without fear of retribution.
38. that I can speak the Gospel truth at school, during school, and with my students at any time.
39. that I have friends and family that pray with me.
40. that I have friends and family that pray for me
41. that I am never truly alone
42. that God put together a fabulous team of doctors and therapists to help DS13 with his autism
43. that God helped us to find the right medicines for DS13's autism
44. that God helped us to find the right medicines for DS11's asthma
45. that we live close enough to Atlanta to enjoy the arts and some events
46. that we live far enough out of Atlanta to not deal with crime and noise
47. that we see wildlife every day
48. that my family is conservation minded and wants to be good stewards
49. that we are able to go to a performance by Brooks and Company tonight (see #45)
50. for my friends who are great sounding boards
51. for my colleagues who are great support for me
52. for my son's teachers who are so wonderful, supportive, talented, and Christian!
53. for the administration of our school who deal with the tough stuff so we don't have to
54. for the ability to take care of my family
55. for the ability to make gifts and things that my family needs
56. for the opportunity and ability to quilt
57. for the ability to knit and crochet
58. that our middle and high school chapel are collecting warm winter items to benefit our local homeless shelter
59. that part of that service is providing a hot breakfast and coffee for the shelter residents
60. that the kids will take part in the actual delivery and service of food
61. that our staff and so many students have a heart for service
62. that the Beta Club is holding a canned food drive
63. that I have a reliable vehicle. There was a time when I didn't.
64. that hubby has a reliable vehicle
65. that the boys have joined a Scout troop
66. that we can work with them in scouting
67. that DS13 is actually willing to try to do some out of doors activities, finally.
68. knowing that many of our school's graduates are doing so well with their lives!
69. knowing that my efforts at school are appreciated by the families that we serve (maybe not always, but I am finding out that they support us more than we realize sometimes).
70. that we have an intact family and we don't have to spend time trying to decide "who gets the kids"
71. that we can be a support to the kids of families where their times have to be split.
72. for my coffee maker (sounds silly, but it's really nice in the mornings).
73. for my fanny cushion that makes sitting in church pews bearable
74. for the beautiful, changing leaves of autumn. I enjoy them so much
75. that my favorite quilt store got a shop kitty, Tootsie, and that my kids love her. They play with kitty and I can look around!
76. For Delilah, my delicate little rescued kitty.
77. For Natasha, my newest baby who rode to school under the car and scared her former owner half to death!
78. that the kitties are happy together and like to play and snuggle.
79. that the boys love the kitties
80. that Daisy, the dog, lives with Granny and Grandpa
81. for the computer that makes all of this rambling possible
82. for computer automated gradebooks. Some of us teachers stink at math!
83. for hearing my children giggle
84. for all of the precious memories that I have of my life
85. for photos of everyone, family, friends, children, even those who passed on before I knew them.
86. for the boys making Christmas lists and getting really serious about it.
87. for my sewing machine and all the things it can do
88. that my hubby likes my quilting and fiber obsessions
89. for the new quilt frame hubby made me
90. that hubby puts up with my infinite weirdness!
91. for my telephone which helps me keep up with everyone
92. for snail mail because it's always fun to write a letter
93. it's even better to get an unexpected letter
94. my dishwasher--nuff said
95. for Jekyll Island, the most wonderful place on earth
96. for the vacations we have taken with the Pollard family
97. that we got to take the boys to SeaWorld and had loads of soggy fun
98. for school breaks and the rejuvenation we receive from them
99. for orthopedic shoes so my feet don't hurt nearly as much
100. for you that are reading this right now!!!
Okay, I caught my own shadow in this photo. I am far from a professional photographer! But, this is a close up of one of the blocks, which are gorgeously detailed. You can kind of make out my grid pattern stitches. I used 1 inch painters tape placed approximately 3 inches apart on both directions. I fudged it a bit to make sure that tape crossed in the centers of the blocks and in the corners. Overall, I am very pleased with how this turned out and I am excited to do more hand quilting.
