"She told me she would be wearing a turtleneck too and then she shows up looking like that."

These 8th grade girls and my HS WL Party People are always at the top of the list of peole I'm thankful for. This morning we looked at what God says about thankfulness and gratitude.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Consider it pure joy my brothers when you face trials of many kinds for the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2-3

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 106:1

Then we worked on lists of thankfulness for but I gave them certain categories as we wrote:
things, activities, people, things you wanted but never ended up getting, bad things that ended up being good, moments you've seen God and favorite places

It's Thanksgiving week which means college kids are coming back to town. I'm the luckiest because Grace, Abby and Katy came to school to eat lunch with me in my classroom just like they did when they were 7th graders. Nearly 6 years later I'm still such a fan of these girls and the women they're becoming.

You know I've been a letter writer from the start, but there's a pen-pal revolution happening in Fishers these days. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. Snail mail for everyone!

Monday nights at Young Life are also at the top of my thankfulness list. It's hard to sum up why this time together is so special. It's something I never want to miss.

I'm thankful for Cassidy's weird faces, Kaylee's excitement for others, Sydni's love for Joel Osteen, Gracie's singing, Anna Morgan's hugs, Elyse's waves from across the room and all the ways that God is speaking into our lives.