Day 2

While there are a bizillion things to be thankful for today, I'm actually (ALREADY) struggling with what to tag as THE thing today. Trying to figure it out through the lens of the nasty headache...

Today I'm thankful for the all of those people who give their time - endless amounts of time - for very little in return. Yes, I know that all of those volunteers, PTO presidents, coaches, church youth leaders, Sunday school teachers get that warm, fuzzy feelings that we all get from serving our fellow man. I don't really mean to make light of that feeling but I'm sure that all of the people who help my kids every day would sometimes like to sit on their couch. I bet their seminary teacher would like to sleep in once in awhile or maybe let his wife sleep in. Even soccer coaches might sometimes want to have a cozy night indoors instead of herding a bunch of teenagers at a practice.

The school that Tate is going to is a cooperative charter school. Parent volunteers are a necessity to make it work the way it is designed. Each day there are parents running different aspects of the school or working in the classrooms. Sierra Preschool is a cooperative preschool. 4 out of 5 of my kids have gone there. Instead of staffing teachers to meet the criteria for student/teacher ratios, parents work in the classroom each day. The kids love that the Mommys (& Daddys) come to work & it's even more fun when it is your Mom's turn to work. The LDS church is staffed by volunteers - no paid teachers, pastors, etc. That's a lot of volunteering.

I have said this before but it really is worth repeating. My kids have been extremely blessed in the non-family grown ups that have been in their lives. The teachers, coaches and youth leaders have almost without exception been, well, exceptional. I could blame this on living in a small town. I could take credit for it because I have tried very hard to make sure that they are safe and well looked after when I'm not around. There is some truth to those reasons but the real reason is that we have received blessings from heaven. I don't think that it is just luck.

For all of the hours that have been dedicated to making our lives better, easier, more fun and more productive, I am thankful.