Very grateful for~

God’s silent nights
reading through a new cookbook with Kim
lunch with Judy
a year of graces calendar

being ok with it, not contorting myself in a forced ok, but just being ok
how shadows really are bodyguards of grace…some go before and some follow.
an early morning text
Amelia’s refusal to be a victim (despite very effective models)
Supportive emails from Carol

Joy is always a function of gratitude~~~and gratitude is always a function of perspective. If we are going to change our lives, what we’re going to have to change is the way we see. ~Ann Voskamp

Very grateful for~

God’s provisions
Carl’s insight
invitations
enough
being heard
fun, new-to-me  blogs
rereading Christmas cards and the greetings inside
library books
parking places closeby
Betty’s prayers

Live in a state of positive expectation and be delighted by what comes your way. ~Andrea Olson

Very Grateful for

redemption
remembering to set up the coffee last night
the way the orange sherbet clouds of the sunrise change to sugar cookie cream in just a few minutes
a new jar of peanut butter, smooth and slightly shiny before my knife piercing
Great news for Amelia~!

taking the time to let the batter rest
taking the time to let me rest

warmth

the doctors who are working on dad

Thousands of things go right for you every day, beginning the moment you wake up. ~ Rob Brezny

Very grateful for~

God, working through people
intentions
spaghetti sauce left on my front porch by my neighbor
warmed, just boiled pasta and boiling it wine
optimists
how every morning’s anticipation feels just a bit like Christmas morning
pretty stamps
time to listen
Amelia, passing her English certification test: she are certified to teach English now!

Habit is a cable; we weave a thread each day, and at last we cannot break it. ~Horace Mann, seen in an article recommended by Garrett

Very Grateful for:

God, who doesn’t forget
dusting, just wiping away the thin, filament layer and replacing it with shine
twinkle lights
placing candles in a deep foundation of cupcake sprinkles
time to write thank you notes
stickers
choosing which routines to continue
an expanded perspective of the Good Samaritan from Garrett (thank you)
the humor of McShane
tennis

Be of good cheer. Do not think of today’s failures, but of success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will have a joy in overcoming obstacles—a delight in climbing rugged paths which you would perhaps never know if you did not sometimes slip backward, if the road were always smooth and pleasant. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost. ~Helen Keller

Very Grateful for
God, who works through my weakness
the ingenuity of the Rose Parade
fuzzy slippers

how the trash is picked up on time and taken “away”
putting my old stuff in a mental trashcan and sending it “away”

giving the caregiver a break and getting time to talk with Dad alone
lit candles, even in the morning
encouragement from Carol, Jean, and Garrett (why is it that i need so much right now?)
Amelia’s caregiving of me

We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person. ~W. Somerset Maugham

Very grateful for~

God, who gives fresh starts every day of the year!
See, I am doing a new thing! (Isaiah 43:19)
New Year’s Eve tennis
waking up without an alarm
First email of the day and 2012: a Bible verse sent by my high school tennis partner, Rachel
Ruby’s excitement when we walk in
the stoplight turned green just before I began to brake
S’Mores
a calm start to the New Year

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.”  ~T.S. Eliot

God’s Understanding

my annual clearance 
remembering to make a blank one for you

the gift of your time

heat and the thermostat that takes care to know when to supply it
little notes from Amelia
cocoa peppermint cookies
this great word picture: “when the sun melted like orange sherbert over the fields in my backyard”

Gaspar, who came to fix the broken back door which would not lock and which we had been procrastinating to get fixed.
living in a neighborhood where an unlocked door is not an invitation to a future plot of C.S.I.

Let’s just say it’s easier to believe in miracles when you become one. ~Jennifer Dukes Lee

Very grateful for~
Bill’s girlfriend
windowsill basil
the calming of music
water
trash pickup
the hope contained in promises
emails
Lila’s Christmas wishes
immunity
emails from Carol

Never stop until your good becomes better, and your better becomes the best. ~Frank Zappa

Very grateful for~

God’s gift to us

Dad’s smile

a wonderful rum cake
and Almond Rocas—takes me back to childhood memories of when mom brought out the “special” candy
Garrett’s kind words
Carol’s enthusiasm and positivity
Big Bang Theory reruns on the DVR
Marla’s gift—a wine bottle repurposed with twinkle light and wired garland!
the quiet heron bird standing by the lake

she would consider each day a miracle – which indeed it is,
when you consider the number of unexpected things
that could happen in each second of our fragile existences. ~Paolo Coelho