Halfway Points [RANT]

At noon tomorrow, I reach my halfway mark for this wild party called National Novel Writing Month. But how goes my progress? It isn’t exactly good. I am mostly there if Murphy’s Law will stop jumping up to bite my ankles.

Aside from that, I need to add flesh to the bones of the chapters I have allegedly finished. When I glance back to confirm consistency and details, I see more telling than showing, which is less fun for my dear readers. Yet I forge through to new chapters and new turns of events because that is where my word count thrives and blossoms like kudzu.

And my celebrations of gratitude for pie? At this point, it looks like outsourcing our Thanksgiving feast will be the best option. While I find cooking fun and relaxing, for the most part, figuring out how to prepare my level of required deliciousness with the current state of my kitchen distracts me from all the other busyness exploding like fireworks in this November.

And finally, that little ray of sunshine we all need this month. The one that isn’t pie. What has this hobbit been grateful for this week?

Day 9: The ability to access so much information so quickly through the wonders of the internet.

Day 10: Fluffy socks make walks on cold mornings more viable even for a polar bear.

Day 11: When it rains at night. That way I can still walk myself in the morning and then get into everything else that requires my attention.

Day 12: Being reminded not to let the busyness get me down. Listened to a podcast yesterday that really delivered that message.

Day 13: Gentle writing reminders such as this, “If it’s curing insomnia or impossible to proofread, chuck it.” Yep, still fighting the word fight over here.

Day 14: Salad to cheer me up. Yes, sometimes even I need more than pie for sustenance.

Day 15: Friendly people who aren’t freaked out by my overly friendly oldest child who tried to make friends with everyone (and possibly a painting or two) at the eye doctor’s office this morning.

Show Off Those Shovels [FICTION]

As the sky ceased to shower down flakes of crystallized water, I trudged to the door to throw on my snow shoveling gear. Once I looked appropriately uncomfortable in what appeared to be a hundred pounds of winter coat, gloves, scarf, hat, and boots, I felt ready to take on the weather. Despite the bulk of my thick gloves, I grabbed the shovel from my front porch.

As I finished shoveling the thin coating of snow off of my sidewalks and driveway, an unexpected wave of energy filled me. I glanced at my neighbor’s house. Mrs. Waters turned eighty last year, but she still makes the trek to my house with a delectable tray of cookies every couple of months. 

With her grandson back at college, I knew I would see her later that morning pushing her shovel to make tiny paths in the snow. I decided my renewed energy meant I should repay her for all those cookies. I still needed to burn off the most recent batch anyway. 

As I moved from my sidewalk to hers, tossing snow away from the street, I heard voices approaching. I glanced up to find three teen boys staring at me. I paused and leaned on my shovel.

Their leader looked me up and down. “Lady, why don’t you go inside and warm up. We’ve got this.”

One of his henchmen gained courage from that comment. “Yeah. It’s not like you need the money.” His eyes strayed back to my boots, which I admit I had willingly paid a little extra for, but it didn’t make him less rude for commenting.

“I am not getting paid except in friendship,” I resisted the urge to add “and cookies”.

The leader pondered this for a moment. “How about you pay us to help you out it then. This is a lot of snow.”

I felt his implied assumption of my advanced age. Not too old to be offended by being called old, I picked up my shovel and went back to work with more finesse. As I shoveled my way toward them, the teenagers exchanged glances and backed away from me. Encouraged to see them backing down, I started dancing with the shovel and even launched into some songs about snow, some that I made up and some still stuck in my head from Christmas. 

Halfway through an upbeat version of jingle bells, the boys started to harmonize with me. I whipped my head up in surprise to see them shoveling in rhythm with our song. I considered reminding them that I wasn’t paying them for their services, but I had a feeling they remembered.

They started the next song, and I joined in as we listed the names of Santa’s reindeer. Soon we ragout of snow to remove. We paused on opposite sides of the driveway to stare at each other. The opening of the screen door interrupted our quiet contemplation. Four sets of eyes turned toward Mrs. Waters as she stepped out onto her porch with some plastic bags of cookies.

“Thank you so much for the show and the snow removal. I knew I baked cookies last night for a reason. I just wish I had some eggnog for you cheerful carolers.”

We stepped forward to accept our payment. As the boys walked away with their bags already open and half empty, my neighbor gave me a hug.

“Thanks for being a good influence on those boys. Kids don’t realize the joy that can be received and given by serving without expecting payment.”

“Well, they got paid in the best currency I know.” I replied around a mouthful of cookies. “These cookies get better every year.”

“It’s because I get more practice every year. I would love to chat, but…” She waves a trembling hand toward her grey hair. “I get older every year and less inclined to be cold. Have a good day.”

“You, too.”

~I feel like I wrote something similar to this, but after a quick scroll through my archives didn’t yield anything. I mixed it up a little though in the hopes of keeping if fresh and delectable like cookies delivered by a neighbor. Feel free to tell me where to look if your memory of my writings is better than mine.~

Gratitude Journal: Week Five [PREACHY]

I decided to hold off until the last day of the month to play catch up on my gratitude. I hope you find reasons to be grateful every day, not just every day of November.

Reading Gratitude

While the scriptures contain the books that most affect my life and I love reading them and learning from them, I also love reading a wide variety of books. Cozy mysteries are fun when I don’t feel like really focusing. In depth fantasy and science fiction novels tend to give my brain a workout. And who doesn’t love a book that teaches them things.  My husband can vouch for my love of books, since I keep suggesting he build me more bookshelves and he knows I am not really joking. Also, some of those children’s books bring me just as much joy as they bring the children…

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Teach Me to Give Thanks

I tried to write out a quick homage to all the teachers I appreciated as a child, which just made me realize I was a teacher's pet, probably much to their surprise since one brother was a class clown and the other I refer to as a discipline problem, so I shall try to be brief as I list teachers/principals/professors who encouraged me.

I have had many teachers who saw my potential and encouraged me to reach for the stars even when other people told me I would never reach them. My first first grade teacher, Mrs. Knotts, saw that I wasn’t learning much from her and transferred me to another class for the remainder of the year, so my mind could be challenged. I had a teacher named Miss Bryan in grade school who always made me feel respected and loved (and introduced me to peanut butter blossoms). And of course, my grade school librarian Mrs. Royce and her assistant Mrs. Sylva made my day by letting me help shelve books before school started each day. In grade school, I was such a good teacher’s pet that both the principal and vice principal took notice of my extreme nerdiness. One of them let me have some retired English books and the other specifically asked for me when one of my classes arranged for children to shadow important people in the community (seven years later). He was the mayor at the time.

I even had a math teacher in middle school who surprised me by realizing how bored I was in his class (because I was in the wrong the class) and made sure I got into the correct class the following year. Mr. Rollyson may have been influenced by the time he made me redo a problem so many times that erasing wore a hole through the page before realizing he had the wrong answer himself. And Mrs. Curry introduced me to the joys of sentence diagraming…

Mrs. Colebank gave me a deeper understanding of how to diagram sentences the following year and put up my my constant questions. I also got encouragement from my creative writing teacher and my high school French teacher, Mademoiselle Mays. And pretty much every language and linguistic teacher I had in college inspired me in some way. I even had a professor, who started curving the class grades to the second highest scores because my nerdy little heart and brain excelled in that particular class and it didn’t reflect well on a fair number of my classmates. In another class, the professor and I seemed to be having a book club because we were the only two who always read the material before class started. One girl even commented that she was taking notes on what we were discussing. I could detail how awesome a lot more teachers and professors were, but I know you have leftover pie to eat.

~~

Body of Gratitude

We should all be grateful for these amazing bodies we have been blessed with. In particular, I am grateful my body cooperated in making two beautiful little girls. It may have tried to kill me a couple of times along the way, but my girls are healthy and beautiful and extremely sassy. I think I have myself to blame for that last one.

~~

Achieving Gratitude

I am not sure I have achieved anything notable this year. As a stay at home mom of two adorable toddlers, I achieve the same goals over and over. I wash the laundry, fold it, and put it away. I cook the food, make sure everyone gets some, and then clean the dishes and put away the leftovers. Tiny but meaningful achievements.

~~

Talent of Gratitude

My top three talents, at least as far as my brain is concerned today are:

1. Baking. If you really know me, I have probably offered you baked goods. If you were lucky, they featured flavors you like. Apparently, not everyone likes coconut. Who knew?

2. Making people smile. Honestly, I question this one, but I have had more than one friend tell me how I brightened their day or how calming my voice is (not what you want to hear when you friend is driving you through downtown Baltimore).

3. Staying entertained. I once had a boss comment gratefully that he loved how he could assign me any tedious task and I would be excited about it. Apparently, having a brain wired like mine has its advantages.

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Finally Grateful

I was challenged to ponder what goals the gratitude challenge has caused me to set for myself, and I came up with this:

Apparently, I need to work on finding inner peace, making more time for me, and probably thinning out my interests, so I can focus on the important things in life...like pie...

Gratitude Journal: Week Four [PREACHY]

Showing Gratitude for Who? You?

Today, my friend asked how I practice self-care. I admit with shame that I don’t do much of that. As a mom, most of my self-care is keeping my children happy because their sadness is my sadness or taking a half hour to tidy and clean some of my craft mess because clutter apparently increases stress. Little steps to big rewards, right?

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Grateful for the Laughs

Honestly, I laugh a lot at random things. Usually, it is a memory that no one else would find amusing. When I realize that, I laugh harder. Sorry if you are one of the people I have disrupted with my own perceptions of my hilarity. I also enjoy a good sitcom, even the older cheesy ones like “Green Acres”, “Bewitched”, and the “Munsters” that started repeating the same basic story just throwing different characters in and hoping we wouldn’t notice. We noticed, but we just didn’t care.

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Gift of Gratitude

Maybe all this talk of gratitude had me ready for to share what gifts have brought me joy. I have been thinking a lot about gifts I have received lately. In particular, I was thinking about an angel statue my mother painted for me using nail polish. I am sure any discerning art critic would tell me to throw it out, but it was made with love, so it is priceless to me. I also have a giant red coat that was keeping me warm this morning. It has always been too large for me, but my friend that gave it to me wanted me to stay warm when the temperatures dropped. Of course, that was over twenty years ago and she has passed on, but the coat still keeps me warm. 

Another friend answered this question in a way I wish I had thought of first. She commented that she is so grateful for true friends, the ones you can count on no matter what, who don’t judge you but also don’t shy away from telling you when you are being stupid. Sometimes, we need it. We don’t like it, but we need it.

~~

Sweet Safety

What makes you feel safe? Is it returning home after a long day? A police officer? Knowing you are loved?

I feel safe when I am cuddled up with my daughters. This proves ironic since they have a tendency to throw wild arms and legs in every direction, but they are just so sweet and snuggly. Maybe keeping them safe makes me feel safe? Whatever it is, I love their sweet snuggles.

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Shoutout to All the Heroes

I think we all need a lot of heroes. Some of my heroes are my friends who persevere no matter how hard life gets, particularly those who make having a half dozen kids look easy. I also am a hero of the people working retail who keep smiling even when some of the customers take out their bad day on them, and the nurses who often deal with the same bad behavior, not to mention bodily fluids and increased risk of getting sick. And people who keep on moving forward even when life gives them a bad hand. Those are some of my heroes. If you are struggling and still get up every morning and do what needs to get done, let yourself be your own hero.

~~

Bring on Those Smiles

A lot of things make me smile. Some even make me laugh until I cry. Should I admit that some of my favorite stories are not flattering to my oldest brother and my former roommate? Only my brother could get out a ticket because his truck smelled so bad the officer wouldn’t get within three feet of the tailgate…and I have other such gems to make me smile when life is bleak. Of course, my children can always make me smile. Smiles are addictive especially when they are that adorable.

~~

Grateful In Every Season

Being asked to pick a favorite season reminds me of being asked to pick just one ice cream flavor for the rest of my life. I can not do it. I love the crunchy leaves in autumn. Cooler weather.  And Halloween. And Thanksgiving. I love snow in winter and the excuse to bake a million delicious treats. And Christmas, of course. Who doesn’t love presents and carols and sugar cookies? And don’t forget that this is the season when we celebrate the birth of our Savior.  Then we find our way into Spring and the warmth comes back, flowers bloom, color returns, and the birds return to sing to us. Which just leaves summer with popsicles, swimming, my birthday, and all sorts of other wonderful things.

Gratitude Journal: Week 3 [PREACHY]

Welcome to this week’s accumulation of smaller posts on gratitude and other uplifting thoughts. Hopefully, it inspires all of us to greater degrees of gratitude and an increased desire to do good in this world. I hope you allotted some extra time to read today. I felt particularly grateful and full of words this week.

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Famous Last Words?

One of the podcasts that I listen to, which is called Sunday on Monday and is basically three friends discussing the scriptures we are reading this week, challenged listeners to write our final words in six sentences. This challenge occurred the week before last, of course. I have been mulling it over, looking for perfection in my words though I know I won’t find that in myself. My self esteem isn’t that good or you would have so much more to read from me each week.

Maybe I am influenced by the season we are in, but shouldn’t those final words be about gratitude? Final words are our last chance to leave the world better than we found it after all. So here we go, my final words should they be needed anytime soon.

1. No matter what happens, don’t forget that you are loved by me, by our Savior Jesus Christ, and by your Father in Heaven.

2. Keep striving to be the good in this world. 

3. Furthermore, try to be grateful for all that you have, both blessings and trials.

4. You need both the good and the bad times to make you into the best possible version of yourself.

5. And remember that you are never alone because Heavenly Father sent us here to care for and strengthen each other.

6. When you doubt any of this, be strong and turn to Heavenly Father in prayer because he will answer you even if it isn’t the answer you want.

~~

Challenges Inspire Grateful Hearts

What challenges have you experienced that you are grateful for?

Not sure this particular question is going to be a mood booster if I am not careful how I interpret it, so I shall tread lightly. Challenges beyond my control have given me a perspective on life that reminds me to look deeper before I judge, try to be kind, and keep on swimming even when the current wants to pull me under. In other news, accepting the challenge to write a novel in a month has been keeping me extra busy, but hopefully, it will help me be ahead on a couple of personal goals into the new year. (Yes, one of those goals is to post more of bits of writing for my faithful fans. Shout out to my moral support squad.)

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Clothed in Gratitude

Whenever I think of an article of clothing that I am grateful for, I think of a pair of vintage, pink, polyester bell bottoms. My mother wandered into my room when I was a teenager and tossed them at me. I was horrified at first, but they grew on me. They have featured in crazy antics with a friend who wore all black (imagine that contrast, we blended well), paying homage to them in a voicemail message that no one listened to because it also featured most of "I Will Survive", and a guy who was at least a foot taller than me asking to borrow them in my psychology class (he wanted to wear them--before your minds go to a bad place and I am pretty sure he was still drunk from the previous night. Also, I said “NO”.)

Another memorable piece of clothing is a cloak that a roommate had in her closet when I moved in. I started wearing it and didn’t stop. In fact, I wore it so much that people started calling me the “chick in the cloak”, and I swear it faded from green (her color) to blue (my color). I would meet when not attired in said cloak and people would stare at me and insist we had met before. Usually, it would bug them for a while until they excitedly circled back to me to declare, “You’re the chick in the cloak.” Yes, yes, that is me. Other memorable responses to my fashion choice include greetings such as “I am Batman” and “Aren’t you a little late/early for Halloween?” Said cloak and its many friends still reside in my closet and cloak weather is upon us. Maybe it is time to introduce my new neighbors to the chick in the cloak?

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Thanks for All the Memories

How do we keep track of the memories we are grateful for?

Most of my memories are locked away in my head. Every now and then, I jot something down in a journal or the memoire I should never write. I have tried to make digital copies of as many photos as I can, but I keep finding ones that need digitized, so that just gets added to the infinite list of things to do. I also have some photo books I made for the girls. I need to catch up on those. I think I got the first quarter of 2020, so that is another thing to be grateful for.

~~~

Extra Thanks for our Veterans

I come from a small town that celebrates our veterans as much as possible. We are famous for Memorial Day I have seen hometown posts about how to celebrate our veterans without the traditional parade this year. I remember how excited I was to receive a cloth poppy from an older gentleman in uniform when my mom donated a few coins. My mom explained to me that the man who gave it to me had fought for our freedom. We know that our country has been made better on the shoulders of men and women who have sacrificed “to defend their religion, freedom, peace, and families.” (If that causes a stirring in you, I can’t wait to see you in church again when all the craziness has subsided.) So if you see a veteran today, or any day, stand up a little taller and say “hello” or “thank you”. And as always, be kind, some veterans can’t forget the things they have seen and a little kindness goes a long way.

Don’t worry. My hometown managed to show their appreciation. I saw a photo of a parade of pickup trucks decked out with flags making a slow procession down Main Street to show that we have not forgotten the debt we owe to those who defend freedom.

~~

Love for the Rainbow

My friend asked us what our favorite color is. A difficult question as I appreciate most of the colors depending on my mood. My favorites are shades of pink and blue. Some shades and products sporting them are preferable to others. I have had comments from people about the limited range of colors I wear, usually black and blue. Red makes for lovely roses and delicious apples. Orange is perfect for pumpkins and the fruit of the same name. Yellow makes bananas and lemons stand out. And who doesn’t love green that makes the grass and trees more beautiful and vibrant. Shades of blue give depth to  the ocean and the sky. But what about purples from royal to grape? I love it and how happy it makes my daughter, but if you see my mother-in-law, please tell her how grateful I am for the other colors, so she can mix it up this year at Christmas. If I list all the shades in between, you will run away because no one pops over here to read about puce and chartreuse and maroon and gold, so I will let you go to enjoy the rainbow of colors around you.

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Grateful for Me

Picking just three qualities one likes about oneself should not be a challenge, but it is for some us. Think about your top three qualities. I hope so many leap to your mind that you can’t decide on fewer than a dozen. I carefully selected the following three qualities of me:

1. I love my eyes. They change colors. If you haven’t seen it, you are missing out. I have had people, even ones not romantically interested in me, stare into them in the hopes of catching them at that moment they change. Of course, the day my irises turned red, I was banished to my room. Probably not a bad idea since I felt super icky that day, which happened to be my birthday. The gold and the green are a nice change from the brown. I am pretty sure the gold appears when I am most contented.

2. I love my brain. Where else would all these wonderful blog posts come from? Admit it, you think my brain is amusing and funny and maybe a little sexy?

3. I love my ability to truly love. 2 Corinthians 6 speaks of “love unfeigned”. That phrase always catches my attention. That is what the world needs right now. It needs pure, sweet, innocent love that doesn’t see our differences and just recognizes that we are all humans, children of God, if you will. We all deserve love and respect, even if we are a little grumpy today or our hair color or eye color seems odd to someone else. So I am grateful that I have an innate ability to feel love toward my fellow beings.

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Make Gratitude a Holiday Tradition

I am not sure what our favorite family traditions are yet. Thus far the only thing my girls demand we keep doing from year to year is putting on costumes and going trick or treating, which is fine by me. I hold out hope that this is the year they fall for pie, so I can justify making one without committing to eating a whole pie or two solo (just because it is fun and delicious doesn't make it wise of healthy). I am also thinking that I need to involve the girls more in the process, but they like to touch everything in sight between washing their hands and helping me cook. Needless to say, anything they help cook, they eat pretty much by themselves. Ah, to be young with a phenomenal immune system.

I should also work in more traditions that help us really feel the spirit of the holidays. I like the idea of making a paper turkey and putting feathers on each day that have what we are thankful for written on them, but would I remember to add to the turkey’s gratitude every day? I also like the idea of a reverse advent calendar though I feel like doing it for Thanksgiving would have just as much impact as it does for Christmas. After all, you could put a box of cereal into the advent box while explaining, “We are so grateful for cereal. Whoever receives this will be too.”

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Knowledge of Gratitude

Think of five things things you have learned that you are grateful for, regardless of your skill level in applying that learning.

1. How to sew, so no costume is completely out of my grasp.

2. How to bake because if I frequented a bakery or went to a therapist every time I needed the therapy only a fresh baked cookie, cake, or other random delight brings, I would be very, very poor indeed.

3. How to read and write because I can keep learning and sharing what I learn, or just discover new friends with phenomenal powers or interesting things happening around them every day.

4. How to drive so I can visit people outside of the range my legs are willing to let me walk.

5. How to take care of my possessions, such as washing laundry and doing little home repairs.

Gratitude Journal: Week 2 [PREACHY]

 In case you didn’t catch last Sunday’s post or the excitement, terror, and continuing business of the past week has made you forget about it, these Sunday posts in November are inspired by a challenge to be grateful every day for our many blessing. My friend poses a question each day about what brings gratitude to our hearts and these are my responses.

Grateful, Naturally

What in nature are you grateful for?

I am grateful for everything in nature. I love the shade of the trees and their fruits. I love the peaceful calm of a gently flowing stream, but I also love shooting out over the rapids when I am floating along. And, of course, I love cute little animals. I was actually contentedly watching a fox watch me on my walk one morning until a rumbly car came along and broke our silent reflections on each other.

Now if I could only bring some of that peace and calm into my house. Keep in mind that letting a little fresh air wash through your house is strongly encouraged right now to let your own germs be vanquished on the winds.

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Gratitude Starts at Home

I am grateful for my mom’s patience as I trundled around under her feet in the kitchen and watched her cook. Despite their complaints that I made them fat, I know my roommates always appreciated the skills I learned at her feet.

I am grateful for those few times my brothers and I were all getting along and playing a board game or watching “Fraggle Rock”. Otherwise, we would probably never talk to each other. A few good memories are better than none after all.

I am grateful for warm blankets made of fuzzy cats. You can never feel unloved when the felines are hungry or cold. 

I am also grateful having “the cart before the horse” because the pie was always ready before the turkey.

~~

Friends Fill Our Hearts With Gratitude

I can’t pick just one friend that I am grateful for, but I can narrow it down to about six. Without naming names, I am grateful to them for many reasons including: no matter how long we go without talking, we end up dissolving in giggles over topics that mystify others; no matter how many times I call to complain about crappy people, those friends still pick up and listen no matter what is going on in their lives; they are willing to drive hundred or thousands of miles to help me eat birthday cake, even if life won’t actually let them; and of course, they never judge me for being the weirdo that I am, in fact, they love me for it.

~~

Music of Thanks

I am grateful for most music, particularly what one roommate referred to as whiny chick music, which includes Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, and Jewel. I also love hits from the 80s, as long as I don’t ponder the lyrics too closely.

During quarantine though, I have been appreciating a coupe of bands that have taken the time to perform live shows online. With two toddlers, I wouldn’t be able to see them at all in person, but I can listen to them with my toddlers in my living room when they livestream to Facebook. If you are friends with me, you may have noted that I have shared the musical stylings of The Clarks (a Pittsburgh band), Bill Deasy (another Pittsburgh crooner,) and my friend Greg. We creative types need to stick together and produce some joy in these tough times. (Still hoping this blog is helping to keep the blues at bay for my loyal readers.)

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Keep Dreaming

When I heard the description of the television show “The Pretender”, I thought that sounded like the perfect life for me. I have been interested in a variety of professions, but I always bounce back to writer, where one can at least write about being anyone or anything, though research is often required to make that believable. The image of Louisa May Alcott’s Jo from “Little Women” comes to my mind quite often. I wish I could disappear into a tiny room up in the gables of an old house and sit at my desk in my special writing clothes. I wish I could get down all these wild and crazy thoughts that flow through my head. But I don’t have time for that, so here I sit in November, adding word after hard fought word to my project of the month for National Novel Writing Month. So today, a little gratitude for words, those who employ them to wonderful ends, and those who encourage the creative spirits to share word after word no matter what form they take.

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Be Thankful to Be Employed

I am grateful that my little bosses are as cute as they are bossy. Being a stay at home mom can often be a thankless jobs, but those tiny hugs are totally worth it. And I never at a loss for tasks to perform, so I can’t be bored. Being bored in times like these can give one a little bit too much time for reflection and introspection. Be kind to yourselves and stay busy, friends.

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Thanks for All the Knowledge

I am thankful for things I know to be true, including that I am a child of a Heavenly Father who loves me, that my best is more than good enough, and that families can be together forever, even if some of them are driving us a little crazy right now.

Just so you know, Heavenly Father loves you, too. Whether you believe he exists or think you are worthy of divine love, you are loved.

And you are definitely good enough. Sometimes we let ourselves get bummed out because we wish we could do more. Ad long as you are doing your best, you are more than enough. Keep pushing forward and leave the world better than you found it.

~~

Dear loved ones,

As Thanksgiving approaches in the wild rollercoaster ride that is 2020, I write to you from the bottom of a grateful heart. I want you to know that I am grateful for you. I love your smiles and your hugs. I love learning from you and occasionally teaching you something new.

But most of all, in this time of COVID and isolation, I am grateful for my true friends. I am grateful for people I can call despite having not speaking to them for months and talk to them as if we are sitting across from each other with a glass of milk at one hand and a fork in the other—a fork loaded down with chocolate cake or pie, which is more appropriate for the season we are in. I am grateful for the friends who truly listen and truly care. They don’t judge me. They don’t tell me I need fixed, unless, of course, I have just asked them to share their expertise about subjects at which I struggle.

I am also grateful for people I can connect with virtually. The ones who read the excessive number of words I use to describe a given situation and remind me to look on the bright side. They respond when they can, not six weeks later after having posted at least a half dozen times a day in response to their true friends. (Honestly, if I didn’t think it was petty, I would thin my friends lists down to only the people I feel think of me as a friend. But that is ungrateful.) 

I am grateful for my friends who read and write and sing and play and create beauty through a variety of physical formats. I am trying to be better, friends, at reminding you that you are amazing instead of just asking for reassurance that someone besides me cares about my words. Thanks, dear readers, for taking the time to read my words and give me honest feedback on how they touched you. I am hoping to connect and exchange better with my fellow creators in the new year, but trying to work that out will have to wait until after I finish 50,000 words for Nanowrimo and probably until after Christmas. ’Tis the season to be perpetually busy, isn’t it?

I am thankful for those few moments of down time I manage to snag. I have to get up early and sneak out into the pre-dawn chill to do it some days, but it is needed in this time when I am blessed with so much time with my family. I am grateful for the fact that they like me enough to vote me off the island on days when I am not the queen of happy and joyful.

And, of course, I am grateful for those who came before me. From time to time, I climb my family tree and find a little bit of me in the stories I find carved on the branches. I love the newspaper story about a great great great uncle who still mowed his own lawn at 101. I love hearing about ancestors who loved to create because it helps me feel a connection with them. And any time I hear about a relative that likes to bake or tame animals, I nod my head and think how great it is that those attributes are clearly genetic.

Feel free to share what you are grateful for with me, your family, and other loved ones.

Gratitude Journal: Week 1 [PREACHY]

A friend of mine invited me to be part of 30 days of Gratitude. We all need more of that, so I thought I could share some of my gratitude here with you. What are you grateful for? Besides this blog and the dribbles from my mind, of course?

I thought today would be a good day to post. As some of these expressions of gratitude will be brief, I think I shall just post all my grateful thoughts on Sundays. So here is some inspiration for the first Sunday of November.

I am grateful for my body because it helped me bring two of the cutest little huggers into the world.

I am grateful for my mind because with it around, I will never be bored.