Day 7

I may take a circuitous route to get to why I am thankful today, so bear with me. 

First, what I am thankful for are sunny days with blue skies and puffy white clouds. Even better if it's a fall day and the temperatures climb into the mid-60s (warm for Chicago!) like today.

What makes this notable, at least for me, is that the place I long to be can be a bit short on sunny days. Hengyang does grace us with days like this though more often in the summer than the winter which can be hazy with coal smoke or rainy (very). In Beijing we took note of those beautiful days and didn't take them for granted, especially as there seemed to be fewer with each passing year.  In Jiaozuo we hardly noticed that we didn't have blue skies...until we went someplace that did. Would I go back? In a heartbeat. 

While I would trade these blue sky days in a New York minute if I had the chance to return to China, I am also thankful for this bit of sunshine (literally and figuratively) in my life while I continue this season of "wait and see." In fact, I believe that it's the years in China that make me smile a grateful smile every morning when I open the blinds and feel the warm sunshine streaming in. 

I am thankful, very thankful. Not just for the sunshine and blue skies, but for the way they point me toward gratitude even on my grumpy days. 

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