As I reflect on what I have been blessed with all of my life, especially this past year, I feel that I need to take a more extended look at what I am thankful for in life.
These are the top eight things I am thankful for in this life.
8. My college
This is the place where I have been able to learn about myself more than ever. It's a place where I have been able to differentiate from borrowed faith to individual faith. Obviously, it's also where I have been able to learn more time and time again. I'm thankful for the individuals in my life that I can care about and make friends with far from my home, but of course, #DBUisHome.
7. My home city
Oklahoma City (and more so, central Oklahoma) is where I have called home for a large portion of my life. For all these years, Oklahoma is more than just a state- it's a people. We may not all know each other, but we have something that I have not noticed in other places. I actually lived in Colorado for one year, and while I can't say much about my time there, I know I missed Oklahoma. OKC is growing all of the time and is coming up with many new opportunities to thrive. Special thanks need to go to Mayor Mick Cornett, who truly knows our city at heart.
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6. My family
I am thankful that I have the family I have known for my entire life. There have been hard, depressing moments in our lives but we have made it through. Even though I have quite a few family members that live miles away, I am still thankful for their presence and love.
5. My real friends
No matter when I met them or who they were my real friends have always stuck by me and have always been a listening ear. They know I care about them and vice versa. Even though we may not always be texting each other or talking on Facebook one-on-one we know we are there. I'm surely thankful for those friends.
4. My teachers/professors
Okay, this might be a bit weird at first, but I am serious. Whether or not I liked or enjoyed the subject they were teaching, I am thankful for those teachers/professors that have left a lasting impression on me. The personalities, the jokes, the overall fun with me and other classmates, and more. Of course, I can't forget the teachers closer to my age that could relate with our generation's struggles 100%. I guess being a teacher's kid has made this point a bit easier but in all fairness, teachers need way more gratitude from across the board.
3. The ability to think
Perhaps something that I may take for granted in this country is the ability to think for myself. I am extremely thankful for ideas that challenge my thinking, that build me up in my beliefs, and that give me the opportunity to share those ideas with others without interference. I may disagree with people, but in America, that's how we learn.
2. Odyssey
How could I forget to thank the platform that enables me to write to as broad of an online audience as possible? I don't know, except I can't express in words what this opportunity has been for me. Special thanks to my fellow friends at DBU Odyssey, especially my Editor-in-Chief and my Managing Editor! Without the Odyssey, I would not be able to articulate as many thoughts as possible.
1. My Savior
I need to give the most thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is my Rock. He is the perfect substitute. He is my life. Even when I fail, He still is stronger. I may have been disappointed by the Church, but since He is the head of the body- the Church, I know His ways are higher than what culture says or what anyone else says. He has been there when others failed as well. He is the good, good Father. Amen.
