Very Grateful for~

God’s provision
paved roads
re-paved roods
washing machines
dryers
tires
air-conditioning
ceiling fans
hot water

Stop and take your time to notice things and make those things you notice matter. ~ Cecelia Ahern, Thanks For The Memories

Very Grateful for~

God’s Paintbrush
not forgetting the heart
Jean’s supportive emails
fresh tomatoes and avocados
gardens
bug spray
sunscreen
big woven hats
Andrea, Chris and me, working in our yards quietly but connectedly ( and by “me” and “working quietly”, I mean me reading in the chair)

A garden is an adult’s sandbox. ~my friend Judith Phaneuf

Very Grateful for~

God, the giver of birthdays!

Susan’s Birthday today
Family birthday parties
Dr. Suess
Kale
getting caught up on email
receiving an invitation to serve

Nice friends on Facebook
avoiding the pretzel twist

I like nonsense. It wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in loving, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope which is what I do and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities. ~Dr. Suess

Very Grateful for~

God, the Great Storyteller
AHA!:  the distinction between believing the story and following The Storyteller
meat-lovers pizza (for some reason, I craved carbs in a BIG way after my trip to NH)
the music of Chad Lawson http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/chad-lawson/id308691571
soap
tennis
Amelia’s perspectives
diminished weeds thanks to Zonker

Justin’s improvement—his first words to mom were “thank you”!

Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love. ~Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

God’s GPS
On-time flights
A new Bible app on my phone
Knowing what “app” means (!)
Window seats on planes
Fish chowder
Rivers that rush instead of pool and stagnate
Garrett’s spot on analysis
Growing into the affirmation that it is ok to question and perhaps say “no, thank you”

Heaven is both present and future. ~Sarah Young

Very Grateful for~

God’s guidance
a long (for me) bike ride
the smell of honeysuckle
how the lake glitters in the sun
a circle of quiet
salami sandwiches, saving half and eating half
laughter
new earrings from Tedra
suitcases

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials. ~Lin Yutang

Very Grateful for~

God’s love

Jason and Joy and how sweet they are running their own store
time to enjoy time
finding out the car can make a long trip
salami sandwiches from JJ’s
the kind words of friends
Tedra’s unselfishness with her mom
moleskin journals
new tennis balls
Appreciation is a wonderful thing; it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well. ~Voltaire

Very Grateful for~

God’s diversity of gifts among us
Amelia bringing in dinner
deciding not to respond to someone’s negative and critical email
the delete button

birds singing outside
online photographs
Big Bang Theory reruns
a small bill (very small) at the car fixing place
Mary, who said “yes” and said it enthusiastically

Being negative is easy. There will always be a downside to
everything good, a hurdle to everything desirable, a con to every pro. The real courage is in finding the good in what you have, the opportunities in every hurdle, the pros in every con. ~Carolyn Hax

Very Grateful for~

novels
children’s books
libraries
indexes
footnotes
other people who like to read
poetry anthologies
plots
This great website called The Library Thing
escaping
How Reading changes me

Books are the plane, the train, and the road. They are the destination and the journey. They are home. ~Anna Quindlen

Very Grateful for~

God’s acceptance
God’s priority on community
the benefits of community
feeling and knowing we are better together
digital communities
connections
face-to-face communities
communion
this encouragement: “Those with strong social connections but poor health habits (eating, exercise, etc.) are just as healthy as those with good health habits but weak social connections.”

Garrett’s editing skills

~The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind. ~Caroline Myss~