Six things

For homeroom this morning, I gave my students paper Christmas trees. On them they wrote people, things, and events, which moved their lives this year. Often, my students wrote their section's name, the graduation picture-taking which promptly moved them to nostalgia, a recent trip to Batangas with friends, and anonymous special someones. It was beautiful, seeing my class start their week with gratitude. As they worked on their Christmas trees, I made my own list in my head. I had six things, more or less:

1. My mother
2. Finishing first in my MA classes
3. Getting published in an academic journal
4. My class, Oxford
5. Writing about my father
6. Meeting- forgive the Haruki Murakami reference- the 100% perfect boy for me