1.  getting through the holidays even though our house is all torn up

2.  we have a new hardwood floor in the kitchen

3.  but the contents of the kitchen are spread out all over the house

4.  no decorations, no tree, no worries!

5.  my husband, Tom and I, luckily are so companionable

6.  going to usher at Tuba Christmas on Saturday – LOTS and LOTS of tubas!

7.  Christmas Show at Unity Chapel of Light on Friday night

8.  singing along to Christmas Carols on the radio in my car every day

9.  taking my grandsons to see the new “Night in the Museum” movie

10.  Christmas:  love, family, friends, music, generosity, sharing, compassion, spirituality

1. God
2. Turns
3. Time with children, no longer so young
4. Greetings
5. Hearing what I need to hear
6. Getting and accepting help
7. And accepting changes

1. The Cleveland Botanical Gardens
2. All Christmassy, with tons of themed trees- especially loved the earth themed one, with globes and clouds
3. A little train ride for the little ones
4. A group of lovely HS-age carolers- so beautiful to hear live carols
5. A hundred or so incredibly diverse and creative gingerbread scenes- a train on pretzel rod tracks laid across kit-kat ties, churches with melted-gummy stain glass, log cabins, ornate Victorian houses, charming color-coordinated bungalows. And the landscaping for these sugary abodes! Waffle cone trees, pretzel rod pasture fencing, pez brick courtyards. Incredible!
6. The tropical rainforest, with its larger-than-life owl butterflies, monarch crysallis’, heart-achingly beautiful cooing doves, banana leaves bigger than my head, random mists of warm water, and its own waterfall!
7. Forethought to pack a picnic- and coffee :)
8. Coming to terms with my ego, maybe. At least seeing some of its hidden programs
9. Patience with myself- and my art
10. Being grateful, one of the best things I’ve ever practiced

1. God
2. Readiness to take directions
3. John explains his day to me – I only have to make four phone calls he said (well, I assume he must teach, too, but it’s a good way to frame things)
4. The imperfect idea and the imperfect action
5. Better than that
6. Extensions
7. Warmth
8. Remembering who and what
9. through surprises

1.  singing with my friends at a nursing home for our friend Norval

2.  being with Tom as he recuperates from his arthroscopic knee surgery

3.  grandson Andrew getting Student of the Month at his school

4.  tomorrow grandson Nate will being playing trumpet in a school concert

5.  finding out my son Kevin is 6′ 3″ instead of 6′ 2″ – lol

6.  holiday grapes

7.  thinking of gratitude when things get tough — it turns me around every time!

8.  pistachios

9.  Christmas Carols (I was born on Christmas Eve, so I am a Christmas Carol!)

10.  Being alive — and all the chances, choices, love, and fun!

• Great fun shopping with Cathy…
• …found a new Mex. restaurant…yummy!
• Cathy’s lovely home…her Christmas decorations appear as though she had a professional designer…she did good! :)
• Visiting my sister to celebrate her birthday :)
• Anita at Verizon who stapled her finger…
• …GPa had bandaids in his wallet :)
• The helpful pharmacist at Walgreens (at the corner of Healthy & Happy…ah, the power of advertising) :):)
• Taking the last Christmas package to be mailed to the P.O.
• The baby girl in Montana who was born at 10:11 a.m. on 12/13/14!!
• Time

1. Seeing where I’m lacking so I can make a change
2. Focusing on joy
3. And lightheartedness
4. The way children remind you of what’s important
5. Their delighted faces
6. Saying yes
7. Hugs
8. Playing outside
9. Christmas
10. These days

1. Hannah’s baptism
2. A young, humorous priest
:. Her gorgeous dress
4. The special pin Ava wore too
5. Lovely godparents, wonderful in-laws
6. A’s sweetness, wonderful behavior, all-around wonderfulness
7. Many hands to hold the baby
8. Self-directed learning
9. Time to just visit and read a magazine (Randall Monroe’s article in Wired on dimensions is really good)
10. My wonderful husband

1. God
2. Surprise party organized by Cassie, she spent months planning
3. Hannah drove from Pennsylvania to be there
4. Kind greetings and kind words
5. Thoughtful gifts although as Cassie pointed out the best gifts are experiences and being together
6. On a day when I’d really given up and just wanted to hide under the covers
7. Also going to the park and watching the dogs run around and the dog owners’ know dogs’ names if not people’s
8. A message from my nephews though I missed them “Where is Garrett” “Can we speak to Garrett”

1. Christmas lights
2. Time
3. Friends
4. Family
5. Options
6. Advice
7. Patience
8. Ginger
9. Laughter
10. Joy