The gratitude challenge this week is to be thankful for something that someone has given me.

I was trying to think of something really meaningful to write about, something deeply personal that is super important in my life. This week though, the thing that I am grateful for is a bag of gluten free Girl Scout cookies.

There is really nothing special about the cookies. They are tasty, true, they are on the list of approved foods, true, and they are not going to make me feel sick later, but the reason that I am grateful for them is the simple act of caring that went into the delivery of the cookies.

Beatriz, the woman that sent the cookies to me, has been friends with my mom for a long time. Her daughter is a Girl Scout, and being that it is cookie selling time, my mom tries to help out however she can. When they met so my mom could pick up the order form, Beatriz sent the bag of gluten free cookies home for me to try. My mom had made a comment awhile ago that I am on a crazy restrictive diet, and Beatriz remembered. While that doesn’t seem like much, to me, that was a really nice pick-me-up during the week. I am grateful that she cared enough to remember, and to send the cookies, and grateful that I am able to help her daughter out by buying some of the gluten free cookie options.

I happily enjoyed the cookies while I graded papers and filled out job applications today. It is impossible to give a student a bad grade when their are chocolate chip cookies in your tummy.