It’s back! Another year, another list of thankfulness from our team members. This is probably my favorite post to write all year because I love hearing from my virtual co-workers what causes them to give thanks. I asked the members of our team to share one or two things that they were grateful for, and I wrote this post with a smile on my face. Are you ready? There are a lot more of us this year than last, so let’s jump right in!

• Becky Robinson – I am thankful for the opportunity to make a difference in the world through the work I do. I am thankful for my family, my friends, my team, our clients, and our online communities.
• Amy D. – I’m thankful for my four children who are such unique individuals and who who bring joy, laughter, and love to my life every day!
• Christy K. – I am thankful for sunny fall days when the light makes the trees look like stained glass,  for my cat walking across my keyboard to tell me it’s break time, for every second I get with my Dad,  for wonderful parents, family, and friends,  for work I love,  for all the gifts of my life- I’m blessed beyond measure.
• Joanna J. – I am thankful for answered prayers, the sounds of my children’s laughter, the health of our family, freedom in Christ, and the cherished people with whom I interact on a regular basis. And coffee.
• Amanda H. – I am thankful for my family! My husband and children are my life, with them I have everything I need!
• Sharon P. – I am thankful for God’s blessings and the ability to serve Him.
• Christina S. – I’m thankful that I grew up learning to smile while I walk.
• Christy V. – I’m thankful for good health, a great family, a great job, and so much life ahead of me.
• Elizabeth J. – I’m thankful for new mercies from God every morning, for a loving family who laughs and prays together, for coffee and good books, and for the privilege of living in America!
• Max S. – I am thankful for my wonderful and wildly entertaining family, getting to do work that I love, coffee and of course…Ghostbusters.
• Paula K. – I am thankful for words. Sometimes they are part of my vocation; sometimes they are part of my avocation. They always challenge me, please me, soothe me unlike anything else.
• Kylah F. – I am thankful for my loving and supporting family, friends, and for finding a true partner in my best friend/boyfriend. I am also thankful for my job that lets me say “yes” to life; going places and doing things that wouldn’t have been possible without it.
• Rachel R. – I am thankful for my wonderful and hilarious family, the opportunity to do the work I love from home, and the amazing God that we serve.
• John M. – I am thankful for being given the opportunity to make a difference is so many people’s lives. This includes, my wife and her family, my own family, the people I work with and our client partners. I see it as all being very circular meaning that when you give from the heart, others will remember this, and give to you when you are truly in need.
• Nikki D. – I’m thankful for far more things than I can list here, but I’ll narrow it to my family, my friends, my health, my sense of humor, and the second chance at a great life that God granted me.
• Sara R. – I am thankful baked goods, funny banter, being able to work in pajamas, unexpectedly running into friends around town, and my weird and wonderful family.
• Nate D. – I am thankful for my family and friends. I have such a strong support system, and I would not be where I am today without them.
• Karen K. – I am so thankful for my children, for my family and friends, for great clients who value my work, and for healthy changes I’ve been able to implement in my own life over the last year.
• Jennifer D. – Writing from California, I’m super thankful for the much-needed rain that came today!
• Lisa P. – I am thankful for the love and support of cherished family and friends, for life’s challenges, for the opportunity to engage in meaningful work that really matters, and for the opportunity to look fear in the face every day and actively choose to be awesome–not average.

When Lisa shared her thankfulness list with me, she also passed along this quote to go with it:

“There are only two paths in life: average and awesome. The average path is easy because all you have to do is nothing. The awesome path is more challenging, because things like fear only bother you when you do work that really matters.” – Jon Acuff, Start

The Weaving Influence team has been on an awesome path this year. It has not always been easy, and we have certainly gone through our share of struggles, disappointments, failures, and hardships – both personally and professionally – but as we reflect back over the year, it’s humbling and gratifying to see how far we have come. Looking ahead on the calendar, we can see 2015 filling up with work, and though we cannot know the challenges that are ahead of us, we believe they will show that our team is anything but average.

Oh yes, and one more list, from me.

• Carrie Koens – I am grateful to know that despite health issues, family concerns, future unknowns, and past mistakes, I am loved by a Heavenly Father who is writing my unique story. I am surrounded by friends, family, clients, and co-workers who forgive me when I slip up; I’m married to a man who keeps me sane, grounded, and very much in love. #iamthankful

Carrie Koens

Carrie Koens joined the Weaving Influence team in May 2012 and has held a number of roles, including three years as the Book Launch Director (a title she stepped away from in June 2016 in order to focus on the needs of her growing family), and she currently serves the team as a Writer and Consultant. An INTJ with a penchant for culture, book stores, Parisian cafés, Indian curry, British mystery shows, and her passport, you can find her on Twitter @CGKoens.