The following is in honor of Thanksgiving.
I am thankful …
1. For my family. I am blessed to be married to a wonderful man, and to be the mother of two extraordinary children. I am lucky to have grown up in the home with laughter, loud conversation and adventures. I have the best brothers and sisters a person can want. A child of divorce, I am grateful the adults in my life never made their issues mine, and am thankful to have several parents who love me.
2. For my friends. I am grateful for the people who choose to be part of my life because they want to — not because my mother makes them. 
3. For my health. This journey to be healthier is long, but I want to say thank you to my body for putting up with the abuse I put it through for years and for not giving up when I realized it was time for that to change. To go from a sometime walker to a three-days-per-week runner is a celebration. We are going to kick ass in 2011!
4. For my job. I hate it at times, but I know in this day and age, it is a blessing to be an employed journalist.
5. For knowledge. My mother likes to say ‘Thay can’t take your degree from you.’ With a double major in English and journalism, not a lot of people are trying, but I am happy to have my education when you consider it isn’t an option for so many.
6. Books. I love books. I love book stores. I love libraries. They make bad days better, sad days happier. They entertain you, inform you, comfort you.
One of our cats 'playing' Scrabble with us.
7. Scrabble. My husband and I have been keeping score for nearly two years now — he’s up by 11 games — and it is the perfect way to wind down after a busy day.
8. For those in this world who bring inspiration to others. Thank you for being the people we all wish we could be.
9. For hope. Because believing things could get better makes it possible.
10. For technology because there are days I can’t remember what it was like before the Internet, cell phones, facebook and YouTube. They weren’t as fun.
