Thank You for all of the little things.

Ants are amazing, God, thank You.

Thank you for tear ducts,

For tears of sorrow

and tears of joy.

Thank You for the genius of eyebrows,

how they shade the sun above

and how they reroute stinging sweat from your forehead around your eyes.

Oh, and how eyebrows show emotion.

Thank You that our nostrils point down.

Thank You for how noses are very well-placed to hold eye glasses.

Thank You for how they crinkle up when you smell something strange (or when you're confused).

Thank You for freckles.

Thank You for weeds that are actually wildflowers.

Thanks for the coffee bean.

Thanks for gravy, it’s like meat but you can drink it (as my son likes to say :-).

Thanks for laughter, I can’t wait to hear You laugh in person.

Thank You for thunder, the window rattling kind.

Thank You for tortilla chips.

Thank You for sand too,

...and sandcastles

...and the feeling you get when clear water washes the sand and salt off your body.

Thank You for the way water can become snow, and ice, and steam,

and that really good crunchy ice at Sonic.

Thank You, Lord, for Dr. Pepper (I wish it were sold here!).

Thanks for strawberries,

and blackberries

and edible berries in general.

Thank You for making it where watermelons are ripe just in the heat of summer.

Thank You for how letters can combine to make words,

and words combine to make sentences,

and sentences combine to make stories

that make books!  Thank You for books!

Thank You for well-worn books with ear-marked pages and smudges and maybe even a coffee stain or two.

Thank You for audio speakers.

Thank You for the way guitar strings vibrate and make sounds.

Thank You for rain drops, the really cool ones on hot days.

Thank You for mud puddles.

Thank You for rain boots.

Thank You for good, clean mud.

Thank You for grass.

Thank You for how a freshly cut lawn smells.

Thank You for dew in the morning.

Thank You for big flat fields to play sports on.

Thank You for sports;

...for the discipline learned in practice and practicing more

...for the satisfaction of knowing you're getting better

...for the joy of healthy competition

...for the excitement of winning

...for the important life-lessons learned when you try your best but still lose.

Thank You for soccer balls,

and basketballs,

ping pong balls

and footballs.

Thank You for board games

and card games

and really funny family games like Apples to Apples.

Thank You for the tick tock sound of old clocks.

Thank You for deep breaths

and deep sighs,

and yawns.

Thanks for fingernails

and back scratches.

Thanks for the warmth of touch,

the comfort of hugs,

the blessing of a kiss.

Thanks for sloppy wet baby kisses.

Thank You, Lord, for honey bees.

Thank You for sweet things.

Thank You for chocolate!

...that deserves two thanksgivings!  Ummm, chocolate

...maybe three:  chocolate syrup, chocolate cake, chocolate bars, chocolate with hazelnuts

...and peanut butter, thank you for peanut butter.

Thank You for wagging tails.

Thank You for how sun rays look when they break through the clouds.

Thank You for road signs.

Thank You for sit-down toilets

and the ability to flush toilet paper.

Thank You for mirrors.

Thank You for big comfy couches.

Thank You for creeks.

Thank You for the babbling sound they make.

Thank You for all the varieties of leaves

and how they change colors in the fall.

Thank You for heartbeats.

Thank You for rhythm.

Thank You for pillows.

Thank You for tickle spots.

Thank You for dad jokes.

Thank You for puns, the really bad ones that make us groan.

Thank You for hiking shoes.

Thank You for warm socks on cold days.

Thank You for cozy pajamas.

Thank You for asparagus.

Thank You for olive oil.

Thank You for memory

and that we don’t remember everything.  Good call.

Thank You for deep sleep.

Thank You for funny dreams that make no sense at all.

Thank You for deep thoughts that make you go, hmmmm...