time to give thanks.

Looking into the future a year ago, I wouldn't have pictured my life the way it is now. Beyond the usual celebratory Thanksgiving dinner, it seemed appropriate to me to thank someone who I'm very lucky to have in my life.

A year ago, I would've contemplated things in a different light. I may have never considered going to law school. I probably would've continued graduate school at New Mexico State University. I may not have even ventured to move away from Las Cruces.

A year ago, I was unhappy; I was stuck at a job I may as well have quit the day I started. I was in a relationship that I was positive was going somewhere, but in reality wasn't. A year ago, I had trouble attending class, hardly had any friends around me; I had pushed most of them away. I would run into friends in the grocery store, but rarely on campus because I was never there. Most of them would ask where I had been and what I had been doing. I never had a straight answer. The truth was, I had no idea what I had been doing, where I had been for the past year and a half, or where I was going.

It only takes one insignificant act of kindness from another person to turn your life completely around. One friend did exactly that. I was invited to a personal bible study of which I had no idea was just for my own benefit. My friend knew I needed change. I just wasn't myself anymore. If it hadn't been for my kindness to her and standing up for her when others tore her down, she may never have helped me (this I'm gratefully thankful for). The fact that I saw her as a loving and beautiful person rather than a prude (what others would often call her and pick at her for), led her to pursue lifting me up in return. Her so called "prudeness" was actually something I looked up to. Modesty is the better policy :)

Whether either of us knew what we were doing for each other, it came as a wonderful surprise that we had become a blessing to each other and had a specific significance in each others' lives. This amazing friend gave me hope and the power of prayer. My hope now is that I gave her something in return. She gave me the realization of my own worth and the motivation to make myself happy rather than relying on others for my own happiness. I don't know how happy I would be at this point in time if it hadn't been for the help of Johnese. She brought me to many conclusions that I couldn't draw for myself.

I do believe that happiness is per choice of the individual. However, regardless of the decisions that a person makes, there is by chance a reason for every person you meet in this world. People come in and out of your life. Sometimes they stick around for years, are here only for a moment or two, or may stay in your presence your entire life. Happiness is also part chance and part of God's will.

In celebration of the season we are in, I am thankful for all who are in my life. But more specifically, I am thankful at this moment for my dear friend Johnese. She is an amazing woman who I respect and I am blessed to have her in my life. Here's to you Johnese!