My reflection questions for my apprentice group this week were as follows: 1) Were you able to make a list of your blessings this week? If so, did you find it difficult? Why? 2) What, if anything, did you learn about God or yourself through the exercise? 3) What were some of the things that made your list that surprised you? Why?

First of all, I learned that I don't read questions any better than my students do! I made a "What I am thankful for" list followed by a page of what I noticed. It would have been a lot easier to make a list of blessings. Which may beg the question how are blessings different from what I am thankful for. Nonetheless, just so that I try to build a habit of blogging each day, and since I am not ready to blog on "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," I shall write here what I noticed. I noticed:

That I want to analyze why I am thankful
That I don't want to just write down whatever my eyes see and say I'm thankful for _____.
That I tend to say, "I'm thankful for ____________, even though _____________.
That I want to know what it is I'm not thankful for and why...and why I'm thankful for the things I'm thankful for.
Is what I'm thankful for also what I like? (And, is it because I don't like something that it causes me to not be thankful for it?)
Is there anything I'm thankful for, but I don't like it?
And vice versa: Is there anything I'm not thankful for but I like? (I think that applies to coffee, except I don't necessarily "like" coffee -- I like its effects...or I started out liking the effects and now I don't like the effects if I stop drinking it.)
Although....
I didn't like being laid off, but I was thankful (more so now than then).

What about thanking God in all times and circumstances? I think the emphasis is on God, not necessarily thanks for that particular thing, situation, person, etc.

Well, tomorrow I will try to do my homework the right way and see where it leads.