Giving Thanks

It is that time of year, here in the United States, for all of us to stop and think about the things that are in our lives. For several years, I listed something that I was thankful for every day on Facebook, but since that is now the popular thing to do, I refuse to follow a trend! So, here are all of the things that I am thankful for in one fell swoop!!

I am thankful for this sweet face that yells at me, frisks around our home, sleeps on top of me, hogs the covers, bites me when I'm trying to play, and is obsessed with white plastic bags! There are lots of things that pets bring into our lives. Bella definitely enriches my life in many ways.

Her purr (especially the monster purr) makes my bad days a bit more bearable!

This is a mandala that I drew in 2011 for one of my family members. I don't know which one yet. I kind of matches my sister's decor, but it seems more like my mom's type of thing. Anyway, I am thankful for the creativity that my mother and father fostered in all of us. 

We have always been encouraged to think well away from the box, and all three of us are good at that skill. It is just one of the MANY things that I am thankful for about my family. I am also thankful that we are able to remain close, even when we are far away from one another in the geographical sense. I miss seeing them everyday, but am glad that we have Facebook and the telephone!

I am thankful for this tree.

Yep, this particular tree.

A couple of years ago, I saw this tree on my commute home. I really enjoy its bare bones and the way it stands there, in a solitary manner, day after day. It inspired several family tree projects.

A couple of weeks ago, my daily commute moved from the road pictured here to a new highway a bit removed from the road. I do not drive right past the tree, but I now have a new viewpoint of the tree. I have the opportunity to look at something that I love from a different point of view. I am rediscovering what I love about the tree each time I drive past.

I am thankful for my music therapy room. I am glad that I have a space dedicated to making music with my clients and interns.

Thank you, clients and former interns, for teaching me so much about music therapy. Without you, I would just be sitting in my house, making things up! With you, I get to see the joy of making music in your faces every day!

I am thankful for my family and friends - especially the friends who take the time to really get to know me and who love my quirks and foibles as just part of me. In the past year, I have received three of these WONDERFUL M&M dispensers!! Two have been Darth M's and the other was a baseball M (from my St. Louis Cardinals fan intern). I enjoy the absurdity of the M&Ms and am a die-hard Star Wars fan, so the combination of the two really makes for something that I enjoy.

Thank you, friends, for finding things that you know will make me happy, even when you don't understand or share my tastes!

I am thankful for Kansas skies. There is always something interesting to see in the sky. We have a small joke out here...

"You don't like Kansas weather? Just wait 10 minutes and it'll be different!" I love that this joke is pretty much true. The weather keeps me engaged in what is happening outside of my habitat. 

I am thankful for our community of music therapists. Even though we, at times, tend to squabble amongst ourselves about petty little things (and who doesn't??), there is no better group of people to advocate for each other. When you ask a question, people answer!

I found this button a bit ago. I have no idea where or when I obtained it, but I have really felt the power of the music therapy community this year. Thank you, therapists, for your support and interest! See you at a webinar??

I am thankful for music. I am thankful for the person who said, "Oh, there is another music program here, but the professor couldn't be here. She asked me to hand out these brochures. It's called Music Therapy." Without that person, I would not be doing a job that I love! I may never have heard about music therapy and would not have found a profession that challenges me, motivates me, makes me frustrated, makes me cry, and makes me laugh on a daily basis. Thank you, anonymous person from the University of Evansville, for giving me the gift of my calling and profession.

I am thankful.