What I'm Thankful For

This year, I was not able to celebrate Thanksgiving as I traditionally do- with lots of family, love, and food. This year I ate my Thanksgiving meal of duck with pasta in a restaurant in Paris. It was actually very good. But it just didn't feel like Thanksgiving to me.

And so, even though this is late, I want to write down what I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for this experience. This adventure. I'm thankful for the people I've met, the places I've seen, the things I've learned. I know that I am not the same person that I was before.

I'm thankful for my family. Their love, support, encouragement, and money make all of this possible for me. I am thankful that I get to see their faces and talk to them on Skype. I love telling them what I'm up to here because I know that they're almost as excited about it as I am.

I'm thankful for my homestay family. I was afraid to choose to live in a homestay because I had no way of knowing what sort of situation I would get. And when I found out that I would be the only student in my homestay, I was afraid then too. But I am glad that I followed God in this- my homestay has been the perfect living situation for me. They are all excessively kind. If I apologize for drinking all of the espresso, they ask me if I would like some more. Sometimes at dinner they bring out more and more foods for me to try. When I hurt my arm, they came to the hospital. When it was my birthday, they got me a mini moka (expresso maker). Besides. I adore my Italian cat.

I'm thankful for little things. Like a bit of chocolate. Or a warm beverage on a cold day. I just bought five different fruity flavors of tea in one pack and I tried one out tonight. The blood orange flavor was lovely.

I'm thankful for getting to live in Italy. When I first got here, I felt overwhelmed. Everything was different. The food, the language, the culture. But now I love it! I love the delicious food, the beautiful language that keeps me guessing, and the relaxed, social culture. I do not want to leave just yet! :(

I'm thankful that Mondays and Wednesdays are cappuccino days.

I'm thankful for my English-speaking, student-filled church here, Florence Gospel International Fellowship. I'm thankful for the friends that I have met through it. I am thankful for the familiar worship songs. I am thankful for the yummy snacks that Tuula makes.

I'm thankful for you. Thank you for reading this, for caring about what I'm up to.

I'm thankful for my God, who is on this adventure with me. He is my strength and my courage. I know that He will keep me safe, even if I have no idea where I am going.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." ~ James 1:17