A family of 7.
Two boys who are adopted from Africa.
Two sisters who have extraordinary personalities and love like crazy.
Two parents who love their family without condition.
Countless friends who tell funny jokes, who care, and who are always down to have a good time.
A wonderful church with people who find joy in ordinary things.
A country where although there is a lot of bad, there is much more good. You just have to look for it.
Grandparents, aunts and uncles who attend the things that you want them to. A lot of people don't have family who come to their events.
A home. A beautiful home, in fact.
An abundance of food to eat and water to drink.
The opportunity to go on trips to see the world and help people.
The ability to get an education and go to a school with teachers who genuinely care about their students.
A God that loves me unconditionally.
Three jobs that I can make money off of as a mere 17 year old.
A cell phone that gives access to contact people I wouldn't be able to talk to, if not for the phone.
Air conditioning. Because when you live in Illinois, it gets hotter than hot. And heaters. Because when you live in Illinois, it gets colder than cold.
A pen and paper, because how else would you be able to escape to another world and feel that you are a part of something beautiful?
The ability to act on a stage, because you get to become someone else for a time and see things from someone else's perspective.
The ability to think, because I am trying to use my mind and heart to BE HAPPY, because yes, there is a lot of things that suck about my life (if I look for them). But look at all the things that are wonderful about my life.
There's countless things to be thankful for. So, if you're having trouble finding the good things, take a piece of paper, sit down, and jot down all the 494903503 things you have to be thankful for.
I promise you, you'll find there IS in fact joy to be found in this life. 
