30 Days of Thanks (Part 2)

9.  Today I am thankful for family.  I am thankful to have a brother that lives close so we can celebrate holidays together.  I am thankful that my parents are able to visit us each year and be a part of our sons' lives.

10.  I am thankful for my husband's handiness, especially as he works on the furnace at this very moment because he noticed it wasn't working properly.

11.  I am thankful for the turkey already cooking in the oven, knowing how many people it will feed today.

12.  I am thankful for Julian, Juan David's biological brother, who we love just as dearly and wish he could be here to celebrate Thanksgiving with us.  I am thankful for the relationship we've built with him and for his determination to reunite us with Juan David.

13.  I am thankful for Mercedes, for loving those boys when they were young and physically and spiritually investing into their lives.  I am thankful to still have her in both of their lives and in mine.  I am thankful for her encouragement, her advice, her love, and for filling in so many missing pieces for us. 

14.  I am thankful for having had the opportunity to travel to Colombia three times so far and for the great friendships we built with so many people there.

15.  I am thankful for the opportunity to study in Argentina while in college.  I am thankful to still be in touch with my host family there and that God never gave me a break from using the Spanish He sent me there to learn. 

16.  I am thankful for Facebook so I can still be in contact with people from all stages of my life.  Childhood friends from Pennsylvania.  High school friends from Indiana.  Missionary friends we met and stayed with in Mexico.  Friends and family in Argentina.  Friends and family in Colombia.  Church friends.  Coworkers.  Bible study friends. Etc. Etc.