1. Sore muscles

2. Returning to healthy eating after two days of chocolate pie and divinity…

3. Seeing Logan enjoy his gifts

4. Roses

5. My husband

6. Routines

7. Getting stronger

8. Sharing books

9. Joyce Meyer

10. Love

Very Grateful for
God’s wise people

Heirloom Pumpkin Candles

people who know how to install new tires

this Pinterest board

the music of John Fahey (who I learned of from Garrett’s list)

medicine

John Wayne movies with Dad

Dad’s quiet acceptance of his circumstances

that I did not push to complete yesterday’s “To-Do” list

What I’ve come to learn is that the world is never saved in grand
messianic gestures, but in the simple accumulation of gentle, soft, almost
invisible acts of compassion. ~Chris Abani, novelist

1. Doctors and nurses who work the day after Christmas
2. My husband, who drove us all around town, after he’d worked overnight, and turns out he has the flu too (we all do)
3. Amazing how they can test for these things in a matter of minutes
4. Thought about putting a quarantine sign on our front door- wonder if that would keep the solicitors away? :)
5. My baby girl is such a trooper, in and out of the car, missing her nap, just hanging out waiting for it all to be done
6. Resting after an extra long day, feels like heaven, as much as it can anyway
7. Feels a little secret and fun, being quarantined here, all sick, all contagious, like we’re hiding from an enemy, instead of being one :)
8. Hot tea with honey is a lifesaver
9. Also, kleenex. God bless the soul who invented kleenex.
10. This

1. God

2. A fine Christmas

3. Emily is a fine hostess

4. Driving my mother and father

5. Text messages with good wishes from many corners

6. Watering the plants and the tree

7. The stores stay open terribly late

8. A teapot with a cozy crocheted cover

9. Knowing what makes someone smile

10. Or someone smiling anyhow

1. My baby girl is sick, which reminds me how precious she is and how much I love her (as if I needed reminding)
2. Nurses who answer on Christmas
3. Medicine that takes the edge off
4. Her dilligent and caring dad
5. Vegetable soup
6. Gathering on my deepest reserves (it appears I’m pretty sick, too) to be there for her
7. Listening to her breathe
8. Loving her, every single moment
9. Being a mama
10. This

1. God

2. Giving

3. Watching sisters together

4. Light

5. Warmth

6. Gratitude for all good Christmas wishes

7. Stillness

8. The Christmas radio station

9. John Fahey’s Christmas record

10. A gathering of family

11. Christmas Day in the Morning – sending warm and grateful thoughts to you and yours

1. Christmas Eve church

2. It’s a Wonderful Life

3. Logan opening his gifts <3

4. Having our Christmas lasagna premade and in the freezer

5. My husband's thoughtfulness

6. Logan's gratitude

7. Sugaree's excitement

8. Family

9. Love

10. Enjoying everything

• Snow
• Lights
• Cookies
• My grandparents
• My husband
• My daughter
• Christmas as a family
• Being here, now
• With all it’s perfection
• This

1. God

2. Running water

3. Emily’s accomplishments

4. Carols

5. Stars cut out of paper Charlene made for us

6. A man whose birthday wish was for each of us to do something good for someone else

7. A woman who wished for hugs for Christmas

8. Substitute recipes

9. Food that comes from the earth

10. Shoes

Very Grateful for
God’s love
falling asleep in silence
Amelia, who swept all the leaves off the front porch
receiving payment from the last client with a balance
waking up without an assignment (for the first time since July)
a long walk with Ruby
a dishwasher
foil to cover pie crust edges
fresh nutmeg

The gift of the Magi is to hold what you have
And not think a minute of what you are missing. ~Garrison Keillor in this poem