I am Thankful

for many things.

Family.

I am thankful for eccentric parents, who brave technology for the sake of staying in touch,
for older sisters who include me in their daily lives, even long-distance,
for nieces and nephews who are more like siblings,
and for the daily progress of new additions.
I am thankful for my big, nosy family, who remembers me on days like today, even from another continent.

I am thankful for prayers for my safety and well-being, which I feel daily,
for shared coffee, stories, and laughter,
for songs that mean the same thing, even though the words may sound different,
and for the knowledge that all believers share one heart and one home, even when they settle on the far side of the sea.
I am thankful for my large, loving, and multi-lingual church family, in all corners of the world.

I am thankful for open doors, open minds, and open hearts,
(Doy gracias por puertas abiertas, mentes abiertas, y corazones abiertas,)
for a house that has come to feel like a second home,
(por una casa que ahora siente mas como un hogar)
for patience and understanding in my behalf,
(por paciencia y comprension en mi nombre)
and for the daily lessons in language, and in life,
(y por los lecciones diarios de la lengua, y de vida)
I am thankful for my host family.
(Doy gracias por mi familia Ecuatoriana)

Friends

I am thankful for deep conversations, shared laughs, and skype dates,
for the other half who skips dinner to call me every week, even though I abandoned her in a big lonely house,
for the inspiration who taught me how to bake pie and be a pen pal, and who is babysitting my guitar until my return,
for the hermanita who opens my eyes to new perspectives with every word she writes,
for the shaggy, tall, protective brother-figure who knows exactly what to say when I need a good laugh,
for the Inspector who has made spending the entire day feeding sea gulls, getting lost, and singing too loudly for strangers a cherished tradition,
for the ex-cage-fighter who makes me grilled cheese, listens to my stories, lets me invade his kitchen, and walks me home at midnight,
for my fellow travellers, scattered to the four winds, who remind me to ask the hard questions,
for my new friends here in El Sur, those born here, and those visiting with me, who have made this strange city feel more like home.
I am thankful for friendships built on common language, common interest, and common points of view, but above all, bult on common ground.

Home

I am thankful for my home in the moutains, not the place I was born, but the place I grew up,
for its open air and its freedom,
for its closeness and community,
for the way the grass smells in the summer and the way the sky feels in the winter,
and for the fact that everybody knows my business.
I am thankful for Amador County.

I am thankful for the new home I chose to leave behind,
for the creaky mansion with the big front yard perfect for lazy afternoons spent reading,
for the neighbors in the hallways until well after midnight,
for the rainy afternoons and the quiet evenings,
and for the time I spent there, and the lessons it taught me.
I am thankful for San Rafael and DU.

I am thankful for my temporary home in a new culture,
for new words and new view points,
for the city sounds and the sunshine,
for the chance to travel and know more of the world,
and for the knowledge that no matter where I go, I am never truly alone.
I am thankful for Ecuador.