Little Blessings

Most nights now, when I am praying and drifting off to sleep, I find myself thanking God for so many little things. I don't really ever mean to spend my whole prayer listing off things for which I am thankful, but my list is so long that before I can get to anything else, I fall asleep. I am quite sure that I will want to write another post on gratefulness in late November when I'm longing for the American Thanksgiving I'm missing over here. But in my humble opinion, there can never be too much said on thankfulness, so a post now can't hurt.

I am a huge supporter of the idea that blessings come in all shapes and sizes. Some are weighty and important; I'm always very thankful for the health and safety of my friends and family, for example. But others are things that are nestled into everyday life like:

• Apple cinnamon oatmeal from scratch (Seriously...try it.  It's like autumn in a bowl.)
• Sweet potato and apple muffins
• Hot showers on cold days
• Soft rain outside my window as I fall asleep at night
• The fact that I finally found the right size lightbulb for my bedside lamp and can now read and journal in bed
• An English lesson that went particularly well today
• The genuine smiles I get from my students as I pass them in the hall
• An unexpected free period and the chance to catch up with a friend
• An orange chocolate tart at lunch
• A surge of motivation and productivity this afternoon
• A visit from a very dear friend
• A funny email from a colleague
• The barking of a dog playing ball with a few young boys in the park outside my window
• The soft, warm glow of the street lamps welcoming me home when I return late from work
• A thought-provoking conversation with my homeroom class on friendship
• October afternoon walks around the park, crisp leaves underfoot
• Crowds of children in uniforms, just out of school and swarming the ice cream truck--their joy is contagious
• Quiet walks to the post office to mail letters back home
• Strolls past neat lines of town houses
• Pauses in front of store windows
• And still moments in the church, thanking God for helping me to teach

When there's so much to be thankful for, is it any wonder I fall asleep mid-list?!