My Little List of Thanksgiving

Why limit thanksgivings to November? 

Yes, you are correct: this November newsletter is landing in your inbox in December. Of course, I had every intention of sending this out on Thanksgiving, then on Black Friday, and then over the weekend. But life, as it does, intervened: a delightful Thanksgiving proper at my sister-in-law’s in Pennsylvania with three out of four of our children in attendance, followed by a swift drive up the NY Thruway to visit with our daughter, son-in-law, and three-month-old grandson. All of this, of course, occurred in the midst of the beginnings of our official move to Vermont. All wonderful things. Busy, but wonderful.

At the beginning of Thanksgiving week, I started making a little list of what I was particularly thankful for in 2025. So here it goes (in no particular order, and amidst stacks of boxes):

• The first time our grandson, Quentin, smiled up at me; it is not a small thing when they are so fresh from God.
• Our 2025 Wheeler Ranch F1 crew of barn cats, who are very good at their jobs, while concurrently also up for scratches and treats. (Thank you, Seb, Lando, Lewis, George, and Carlos.)
• My husband, Dave, who brings adventure in big and small ways into the everyday. You are a pilot now! 
• Coming across unexpected and irreverent dish towels displayed with aplomb in a friend's kitchen.
• Kiwis. 
• FaceTimes from Aaron or Mary where they talk incessantly about anything and everything from college, and it feels like they just got off the bus in first grade and have to give the blow-by-blow of the day.
• Students' "aha" moments, such as when we are doing a final read-aloud of an essay, and there is an unexpected epiphany, whereupon they gain an understanding of themselves they didn't have before. And all those months of work, discussion, and rumination coalesce into them recognizing themselves more fully. 
• My enthusiastic and faithful sidekick, Aspen. (This dog rocks a road trip like no other.) 
• Being invited on a legitimate cattle drive by a Colorado neighbor. 
• A rescue horse that is reliable, safe, and does his part to remind me of what I just might still be capable of.
• You. For actually reading through my rambling list of things. 

There were also some difficult times in 2025, and while I am not going to go into that list, I will say 2025 has been a reminder that fully feeling the bitter and the sweet has allowed me to recognize myself more fully. And, in turn, be able to show up for those around me more fully.