Gratitude 27th

I can't believe it has taken me this long to get to this one, but today I am grateful for public libraries. For those who have always had good quality libraries nearby, in a language you understand, you can't really fathom what it is like for a reader, having to always calculate how many books are on hand that haven't been read yet or that could manage a second (or third, fourth etc) read, and how to get your hands on new material, and how long it would take to arrive, etc etc.  I am forever grateful too, for Terry for convincing me to try a Kindle and my mother for buying me one last year, as that plus library means I am never far from something to read. Now excuse me while I download a book I've had on hold at my home library for a while.

Gratitude 26th

Today I am grateful for Canada, where (I have learned) the mamas of the turkey I eat today come from.  And I am thankful for good food and good friends. And the knowledge that the "hardships" I face, while real, are hardships some would dream to have.

Gratitude 25th

Today I am grateful for the job I do.  This is something I had considered a dream when I first thought of the foreign service, then for various reasons chose a different path. And yet I still get to do it!  And sometimes I manage to do something meaningful. This week I have participated in debriefings for a number of Kazakhstanis I helped send to the USA to network and share information and best practices with people doing work in the same field. 

Gratitude 24th

Today I am grateful for the new apartment having two showers. And not just two showers, but two showers that are independent of each others' hot water supply. Running late getting the kids ready for bed? they can shower at the same time!!

Gratitude 23rd

Today I am grateful for my snowy walk to work. It is pretty when the sun rises over the pyramid.

Gratitude 22nd

Today I made bread and yogurt (well, trying. The chill of this apartment, while more comfortable than Nursaya, does introduce some new challenges). We went sledding (across the street!!), then had hot chocolate. The kids are watching a movie while I wrap Hanukkah presents. I am grateful for everything in my life.

Gratitude 21st

Today I am grateful for the car washes in the basement of shopping malls here. While Alex celebrated a friend's birthday and then we had dinner out, the car was transformed from beige (the color of mud and filth) back to gleaming maroon. And no more getting our clothes dirty getting in and out of the car.

Gratitude 20th

Today I am ever so grateful that Terry and I are Pennsylvania residents. Actually, I am often grateful to this, as PA government seems to align with my major issues more often than not and more often than many other states I could have kept "citizenship" with. Most especially, I am grateful that my governor has not only refused to sign up with the other governors trying to refuse to allow Syrian refugees within their borders, but he is openly welcoming them. Can't wait to actually live there again, one day.

Gratitude 19th

Today I am grateful for thoughtful, respectful, constructive disagreements conducted on social media. It almost never happens, but sometimes it does, and both parties can actually learn something and maybe even change their viewpoints. Wish there was more of that in the world!

Gratitude 18th

Today I am grateful for something to look forward to. We just booked out Rest and Relaxation trip over the winter and it involves sunshine and beaches and a country I have never been to.