Last night we went to the beach to watch the sun set. The sun has moved far enough now that we can see it set over the ocean from the beach in front of our house. Previously it would set over the peninsula that is Punta Ballena. We went down with our beach mats and some mate. It was a great experience and a great lead-in to Thanksgiving.

If we want to be like the Pilgrims, we should start celebrating our own Thanksgiving on May 11, the day we arrived in Uruguay. I promise we won't repay the kindness of our new Uruguayan friends by pillaging and fighting them!

Back to this Thanksgiving, though. I'm sure this won't be a popular post with many people because I'm going to say what I am truly thankful for this year. When I woke up this morning I saw a Facebook post that sums up my disappointment with many US people. It read something like:

I am thankful for all the men and women serving in the military to protect our country and the freedoms we have, making this country the greatest place to live on earth!

That's not an uncomment sentiment, often parroted by so many Americans because that's what they're told. The problem is those are the same people that haven't traveled very much, so how do they know? How do they really know they live in the greatest place on earth? I am going to venture a guess that they don't know and they don't WANT to know. It is much better to never think, to only say with great pride that the US is the greatest and no other place compares.

So here's my list. I'll tell you what I'm thankful for this year, in no particular order.

I am thankful to be lying on a sofa in a beach house writing this right now as the sun lavishes the world around me with beautiful 75 degree weather.

I am thankful that I get to live here with my husband, my mom, and our 3 completely individual dogs: a jubilant puppy, a feisty Chihuahua, and a timid Husky.

I am thankful for Shawn, my bestest husband and friend. He's a sweet and loving man who always loves me and takes care of me. I can't be thankful enough for that.

I am thankful for my amazing, intelligent mom and I am thankful I have gotten to spend so much time with her in my life.

I am thankful for my friends, near and far, especially Aline and Michelle.

I am thankful I had such a great dad who taught me so much and only ever wanted the best for me.

I am thankful for our amazing neighbors that have treated us like family from the moment we arrived.

I am thankful for our landlords that have been so kind and patient with us, always willing to help with whatever we need and for the amazing house they own that we get to rent. We love it here!

I am thankful for Gonzalo, our new residency advocate, who is so good at what he does, so efficient, and so kind.

I am thankful to live within walking distance of the ocean for the first time in my life. It is an ever present calming force to see the power held within the water on a daily basis.

I am thankful for the beautiful, delicious, clean food available here. There is a huge variety of local, sustainably produced fruits, vegetables, and grass fed meats.

I am thankful for the abundant fresh water here that has not been polluted by the short-sighted, money-grubbing farming practices of the US.

I am thankful to live in a peace loving nation that affords me more personal freedoms as a tourist than I could find as a citizen in the country of my birth.

I am thankful for the Uruguayan people who have a sweetness and a refinement that has long been lost in the US.

I am thankful to live in a country that isn't filled with people that ridicule me or make me feel less human because I don't speak Spanish very well. I have yet to hear anyone say such pompous, condescension filled comments as Americans are quick to utter in regard to Mexican immigrants such as, "If you're gonna live here, SPEAK ENGLISH!" Seeing how the US is a nation of immigrants, people are certainly able to quickly forget the fact that their own grandparents or great-grandparents were the same non-English speaking immigrants not all that long ago.

I am thankful to live in a part of the world that still thinks people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. I don't have to worry about "enhanced pat-downs" or being pelted with radiation just to get on a plane or a bus or a ferry. In fact, they still allow metal utensils to be used on flights here. Imagine that?

I am thankful to live on a continent with such diversity in plants, animals, history, culture, and topography.

I am thankful to be debt-free.

I am thankful Shawn has good jobs outside of the US that allow him to work from South America.

I am thankful to live in a country that had no part in the unjust US led "war on terror" in the Middle East.

I am thankful for God's sovereign grace which granted me salvation through faith that I could not have had by my own choice.

I am thankful for God's mercy in allowing my mind to be opened to more truths in this world than many people.

Lastly, I am thankful for the future. I don't know what it holds, but I know God put us here for a reason and it will be exciting to see what will come next!

Happy Thanksgiving!