Belated thankfulness

I asked my students on Wednesday to tell me what they were most thankful for. They were sweet in their answers, most of them saying they were most thankful for their family or their mom. None of them said material things. I'll have to admit I was a little shocked.
My favorite moment though was when one said "life". That opened the door for me to talk about Uganda and God. It was one of those precious moments when I, as a teacher, get to share my faith in that round about way a teacher can. I was able to tell them how every week in church a Ugandan would stand up to testify about God's goodness and, without fail, one would always say that he/she was thankful to be alive because so many have died. I was able to remind the kids that they live in the land of plenty and that the basics of life...food and health...should not be taken for granted.
I know some of you think I talk too much about Uganda, but I will admit that I take every opportunity that I get to mention it to my students. If they never learn to conjugate a verb in Spanish from me I don't mind. What I do want them to learn from me is that there is so much more to this life than the things they have. And there are people in the world that are nothing at all like them...and that doesn't make them bad. It just makes them different. And I want them to see that it's not okay to take the privilege of life in America for granted. I don't know why God chose me to be born and raised here. But I do know that it is an amazing gift and that He intends for me to do something with it.
I am so thankful for my life. I am thankful to be alive. I am thankful to be in America. I am thankful for the freedom that that provides me. I am thankful to have been born to parents who raised me in church. I am thankful for my church and my amazing pastor. I am thankful for my job that I complain about all too often. I truly do love teaching and I love the kids. I am thankful that God chose me to be in their lives for this time and He chose them to be in mine. I am challenged and humbled by them daily. And I am constantly reminded that there is so much more to life than my tiny world. I have 105 little worlds intertwined in my life every day. I am thankful for that gift and I pray that I would not screw it up!
I am also thankful for my family. I have the sweetest nieces and nephews. I have the greatest brothers and sisters. I have an amazing dad and two moms. What a gift.
I am thankful for my friends, both here and all over the world. That's one of the great things about being a missionary...world wide friendships. To those of you overseas...I love and miss you and pray for you often. To those here, I pray for you too.
How could I ask for more? God is so good to me.

(I should have done this on Thursday, but I was at my parents' and the internet was out all weekend. I guess that makes me thankful for working internet too.)