Very Grateful for~
God’s recycling
Time to exercise
Time to read
breathing through worry
Ravioli
A few cool mornings
Good Great neighbors
Role reversals: now Amelia, since she is a health club member, has to accompany me to aerobics class so I can get in free

Cool water

One of the most difficult things for us to accept is that beneath all our dreams and disappointments, we live and breathe in abundance. It is hard when in pain to believe all we ever need is before us, around us, within us. And yet it is true. . . . Mysterious as it is – no matter our pain or excitement, our drama or circumstance – all that we could hope for is here. We lack nothing. ~Mark Nepo

God’s Lessons
the smell of rosemary at the front door
the basil on the windowsill and how the smell of rosemary and basil stays on my hands
ice
shade
core muscles
holding and releasing
caramel sauce
the rainstorm last night
 “We are all here to be of service to one another. One soul, gracing another’s life, one moment at a time, is what life essentially is all about.” ~Caroline Joy Adams

Very Grateful for~

God’s lessons
The “Beyond” section of “Bed, Bath and Beyond”
So many gadgets!
Living in a country with so many choices!
Warm tortillas
Anne’s job opportunity
Tedra’s new job

The hope that maybe mine will be soon, too

Little river stones in the bottom of my bathroom sinks…so oddly calming…As I express my gratitude, I become more deeply aware of it. And the greater my awareness, the greater my need to express it… What happens here is a spiraling ascent, a process of growth in ever expanding circles around a steady center. ~David Steindl-Rast

Very Grateful for~
God in the holiday
The reverence of God from our forefathers
The concept of being able to hold truths as self-evident
The mother and son placing flags in the yards at 5:00 this morning
The way the flag waves in the wind
What the flag and the sacrifice of others means
Hot dogs
The early morning aromas of backyard BBQs and slow cook smokers
Watching Wimbledon on TV with Dad and then Amelia
The day off means that all the neighbors are home and around

I love my country and I do not take it for granted that I live in this land by God’s extravagant grace. ~Jody Neufeld

God’s lessons

Amelia’s fortitude during and after a horrific week

This great, new book by Chris Shea–Little Prayers to Bless Your Day

Prayers

Thad, the carpet cleaner

Ruby and how hugging her brings immediate relief

A French press coffee pitcher

Fresh tomatoes

And avocados

Dad

Mom

Art is the only way to run away without leaving home. ~Twyla Tharp

Very Grateful for~
God’s lessons from the mosquito

Five bites in 1 minute reminds me that one is never too small to make an impact

Bug spray

The cool of the early, early  morning before sunrise and the triple digit temperatures

Sprinklers

Hope

Prayer

Mike and Victor, the tree trimming guys

Carl’s insight for Amelia

Listen to the quieter voices inside you – the ones your more dominant inner voices – like your inner manager and task master and the voice that’s all about paying the bills – tend to talk over. These quieter voices sound like tender hopes a lot of the time, or persistent invitations. Or like a restless wish for change. ~Kristen Noelle

Very Grateful for~
God’s patience
a cool morning to play tennis (but not for long)
aim
band-aids
ice
screaming/laughing loudly/clapping and no one shushes me/us
and i don’t shush them
approaching the net
knowing Nancy is having fun in Scotland
Happy Father’s Day to the dads, and the single moms who serve also as dads, and the married moms who as my friend said, “serve as if we were single parents.”

One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters. ~ George Herbert

Very Grateful for~

God’s masterpieces
being the lamest person in the beginner’s yoga class (because there is nowhere to go but up)
the realization that I have surrounded myself into activities that I am accomplished at and that I know and I have not left much room for new things to
learn/do…until now…
relaxing into a pose…and how long that takes me to do this
deep breaths…I can do these right off the bat!
when the 10-count hold is over
the patience of my instructors
cushion props
hearing that I should not press for too much at first or get discouraged because “it took a long time to get this way”
cucumber water

“Gratefulness and simple living go hand in hand. When we are grateful, we appreciate life’s free gifts: friendship and solitude; movement and rest; Nature’s bounty and her spare winter introversion; our own alternating sonata movements of joy, sorrow, and joy’s resurgence. Through this appreciation, we find contentment.” ~ Unknown

Very Grateful for~
God’s Victories
deciding not to move on to the next thing, but just staying with the miracle of Amelia’s job in this economy and this town
not rewriting again…just sending in the writing sample before I had overwritten it to death
This post and idea by Cara Stein~”When you let people see your real self, you suddenly lose a huge worry.”
little cheese sticks
Carl’s long-term ministry service
stuff to give away
Not having a tarantula in our garage
sprinklers

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson