1. God
2. Apples
3. watching potentially harmful emotions take a roll and presumably go elsewhere
4. Batteries
5. and things that seem to fix themselves
6. Closeness
7. “Eat cake every day because it’s someone’s birthday”
8. Decorations uneaten

1. God
2. The Halloween decoration competition among our neighbors is fun to watch
3. Persistent zinnias
4. Woodpecker
5. Cassie usually spots these birds before me
6. Hannah and David
7. Reaching within
8. Orange and yellow and vermillion

1. God
2. When fussing comes to no avail and the lesson that fussing comes to no avail or that the universe avails maugre fussing and the result is better than anything fussed for or over, imagined by the fussee.
3. The Frugal Framer. He does fine work at a reasonable price. I offered a deposit and he refused, saying you look like someone I can trust. It was nice to hear that.
4. Babette likes her head scratched between the ears
5. Late vegetables
6. Coleus taking root in vases
7. The blow up Halloween cat and the neighbors’ reactions (not to mention the neighbors’ pets)
8. The brain of the purple mountain
9. Company of cats (not the inflated kind)

1. God
2. Nicole bought me a cup of coffee
3. Eric brought in a drill to hang Nancy’s board
4. Man running by strumming a yukele and singing
5. Spaces between
6. David’s knowledge of history and storytelling
7. Julia made a poem

1. God

2. Starting the day with a positive, grateful attitude

3. Crystal, because she shares with us her joys and struggle and lessons learned from both

4. Heather gave me free coffee (I told her she had to stop, that this is no way to run a business)

5. Swallows in a formation

6. Warmth in the heart

7. Susan’s year of gratitude, still going

8. One more

1. God

2. the man who came to clear the sewer line, came when he estimated he would, worked quickly and efficiently, and let us borrow his wet/dry vac to clean up the overflow, he was patient and helpful

3. Cassie for detecting the problem and having a remedy before I even arrived home

4. Michel and Bill doing us a good turn by using a gift certificate they received to take us out to dinner

5. And going out was good for us, especially since we were tired and would have kept quiet, and by going against our instincts we were happy with the results

6. Tamara acknowledging my honesty and with hers and helping me gain courage

7. I love what Crystal writes about approaching change and difficulty like an actress (especially “talk to my toddler,” I’ll bet Ava had something quite engaging to tell the caller.”) Something I’ve been thinking about lately, performing my job or whatever role, like an actor but not identifying, it is not all that I am. Grateful for Crystal’s insights and actions.

1. God

2. Autumn leaves

3. Laughter

4. Beautiful ornate windows not yet seen from an advantageous angle

5. Lattices in wood and crystal

6. Relief in wood, grapes and curling tendrils, above a door (none of this is at my house but that’s OK)

7. Sunny morning

8. Spaces (almost) everywhere

1. God

2. Those who serve

3. Holding

4. Jenna’s infinite colors and everyone’s

5. Like so many threads

6. Branches

7. Continuous landscape

8. unfolding

9. the end is the beginning

1. God

2. Good memories

3. The journey as much as the destination

4. The young woman who came to shake my hand

5. Humor is fluid

6. Love

7. New possibilities

1. God

2. Motion of breath like love

3. Overcast

4. Cast your bread upon the waters

5. and it will return to you

6. Sometimes how (as opposed to Eeyore, not very how)

7. Dwelling in this moment

8. Some trees and the best thing