The Grateful Turkey

I wish I could just send an email to God, you know? Like, hey, what's up? I REALLY need to know if the Loch Ness monster is real, and could you also give me some insight into what I'm supposed to do with my life? Great, thanks. P.S. Sorry if I've been botching it up so far. -Keri
See? How easy would that be? Then, he'd respond and all of our questions could be answered.
I'm such a contradictory person. I love poetry and the whole abstractness of it, yet I crave black and white. Answers. Directions. Plans. I just want to do the right thing. For some reason, doing the wrong thing absolutely horrifies me. Where did I pick up this perfectionist disease?? It ruins everything, and it's like the most impossible disease to have.

I always joke with my sisters about having picked up the worst traits to have. Yeah, everyone has things to work on, and I always feel like mine are the hardest things. I struggle with not shoving 100 oreos into my mouth everyday, and my sister wishes she read more. I feel like I'm afraid of the future and worry about everything. My one friend says her biggest flaw is that her gum is a little lower on one of her front teeth. See the difference? :/ These things aren't comparable. I feel like I'm lost in a sea of people, of everything, and if I'm never going to be perfect at anything, how am I enough? How will I be valued? My sister mentioned that she thinks that maybe God is more interested in the good of mankind as a whole as opposed to caring for the individuals. That sounds about right to me. But, then, what's the purpose of one flawed, oreo-shoving person? Who knows. Add it to the list of things we'll never know...like...if the Loch Ness monster is real or if I was meant to do something other than what I'm doing, or whether God is what our cliché Christian education taught us he was, etc. (This Loch Ness thing really bugs me).

I have been teaching my class about Thanksgiving recently. One of the Higher Ability spelling words was grateful, and we've been discussing the suffix -ful etc. It was difficult to explain what the word thankful/grateful meant to kids whose first language is not English. We watched a video on how to draw a turkey and we made a list of things we're grateful for. They came up with some wonderful things. One student said they were grateful for their life! One said they were grateful for Ms. Keri (yesssss, score.) One said they were grateful that they had friends to play with. After listening to these things, I made my own short list for them to see. And I had a sentimental moment, and explained how if we woke up every day and thought of what we were grateful for, we wouldn't focus so much on the things we DON'T have. We also discussed the suffix -less. I said some people are jobless, homeless, or friendless. I am thankful to have a job, and a home, and friends!
I have been privileged to see the world. Heading to India next week. What a gift that is! I have also become someone entirely different than what I expected. ( a blessing in disguise) I get the chance to be with my family and friends for Christmas. What incredible things to be grateful for! Yes, there's so much I want, so much I expect, so much I worry about not having, but I have been given so much, and have done so much that I sometimes forget! This Thursday, I plan on being a big ol' grateful turkey over here in the sandpit. And maybe have an oreo or two...or 100.
Happy Thanksgiving!