Very Grateful for:
God’s Benevolent Mnemonics
God’s willingness to be our Abba (father)
difficult spelling words that challenge my memory
that accurate spelling still matters
mnemonics to help spell difficult words and names
the book of Isaiah- difficult for me to spell
a mnemonic to spell Isaiah with a focus on the “aia”
the “aia” of “Abba-I-Abba”– The father’s love surrounding us/me
our identity (my identity) is encircled by Abba
“I have called you by your name. You are mine.” ~Isaiah 43:11
Very Grateful for:
God’s Love
Waking up to quiet
Waking up to the remnants of rain
yesterday’s visit with Wendy
Wendy’s gift of two important Bible Verses
making and eating Slow-cooked Guinness Irish Stew
making and eating Guinness Brown Bread
the aroma of the Guinness Brown Bread as it baked
cleaning out another paper-stuffed satchel (to combat feeling overwhelmed, my goal is to only clean one per day)
Ruby’s companionship
“It’s when we face for a moment the worst our kind can do, and shudder to know the taint in our own selves, that awe cracks the mind’s shell and enters the heart.” ~Denise Levertov
Very Grateful for:
God’s Love
the still, small voices
the time after the email, when a small thought pierced my confusion–“that job would have kept you from what God has in mind”
a discussion with the frame shop owner who told me, out of the blue, about the way God orchestrated her purchase of the shop 12 years ago
Rain!
Cooler temperatures
a chance to talk a walk
an interview for Steven
Dad’s love
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus” ~ Mark Twain
Very Grateful for:
God’s recoveries
the recovery of the day through the night
the recovery of the night through the morning
the recovery of the ground through the promise of rain this week
a new concept for me— “recovery wreckers”
storm doors — a goal for 21 years realized
the way Ruby took to going in and out of the storm door’s pet door- unlike what we were told- no special training needed
microwave poached eggs
“Recovery is resurrection saturated with love” ~ A. Philip Parham
Very Grateful for
God’s Fluctuations
Enjoying new work with a collegial, non-punitive team
The team stays attached to goals and not to their egos
Running into an old friend, a math teacher who gave decades of years to our school district
Rain on Monday!
Kona coffee
That there is even time for reading now
Time to sort through files and papers
Time to make a slow, Irish stew
Ice cream cake!
A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work. ~John Lubbock
Very Grateful for
God’s pure love
Rain- lots of rain- after such dry, hot days
time to stomp around in the puddles and twirl under the rain drops
Ruby, often brave, reduced to fright at the loud thunder
the unexpectedness of these days
a lovely, lovely hot tea afterward (Pukka brand Fennel, Chicory and Cardamom
Amelia’s long visit
listening to her handle her business
prayer
receiving the good news that people are praying for me
“The purest form of love is given with no expectation of return. Measured by this standard, earnest prayer for others is a magnificent act of love.” ~ David Hubbard
Very Grateful for:
God’s Stretches
the feeling immediately after a stretch
finding out that holding a stretch for the count of 30 actually nurtures more muscles
Leigh Anne
Dr Joyce …
… and her uplifting emails
setting a boundary … and … getting past the first few moments of panic and fear
f.e.a.r. = false evidence appearing real
remembering that it is not real– but born from other fear
remembering to breathe
Blowing out someone else’s candle won’t make yours sign brighter
Very Grateful for
God’s unchangingness (not sure if this is a word)
This site–WLG– that lets me post “new” words
Amelia, who was here to help me through the rigidity and devoid-ness of those in places I’ve left behind
Dr. Joyce’s advice to go to the media
Jennifer’s advice to take the high road
Amelia’s advice to “go to the mattresses”
my own still, small voice
the realization that many people mistake non-combativeness for weakness
escape from their toxic stickiness
“Very few things stay the same forever. People change, places change, jobs change, relationships change, fashions change, economics change. Our bodies change, our dreams change, our soul-muscles change. We change our minds. Roll with the changes, incredible you. Cling tight to the things that don’t change…the truths in life that are solid and dependable…and then roll with everything that does change. Change gets us where we need to be, it drives us to do things we wouldn’t have done otherwise, and it helps us see things more clearly. Change wakes us up, keeps things exciting and makes us try harder.”
~~Brave Girls Club, http://bravegirlsclub.com
Very Grateful for
God’s Sun
the boundaries needed to survive a very hot summer
acknowledging the need for protection: sunblock, water, hats, and I even saw someone with a parasol
Amelia’s unexpected visit
getting in a bike ride before sunrise
air conditioning
ceiling fans
the fortitude of the little front porch herb garden
yard sprinklers
ice
The transition from tenseness, self-responsibility, and worry, to equanimity, receptivity, and peace, is the most wonderful of all those shiftings of inner equilibrium, those changes of the personal center of energy, which I have analyzed so often; and the chief wonder of it is that it so often comes about, not by doing, but by simply relaxing and throwing the burden down. ~ William James
Very Grateful for:
God’s transitions
Dad’s 91st birthday
how fortunate we are
saying good bye to kind neighbors
meeting new neighbors
the easing of somatic symptoms
not regretting decisions
time to listen
The transition from tenseness, self-responsibility, and worry, to equanimity, receptivity, and peace, is the most wonderful of all those shiftings of inner equilibrium, those changes of the personal center of energy, which I have analyzed so often; and the chief wonder of it is that it so often comes about, not by doing, but by simply relaxing and throwing the burden down. ~ William James
