Gratitude Challenge -- Day 31

I can't say it any better myself...

 

What if today, we were just grateful for everything?

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 30

My Daughters, Kathy and Jennifer.  Beautiful.  Creative.  Generous.  Amazing women.  Far surpassing their parents' contributed genes.  I stand aside and see them as individuals who are separate from me.  Distinctly themselves.  On their own journeys.  My greatest joy is in observation.

On Children

by Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday,  

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 29

1.  My years in Kenya. I have wonderful memories of the country and the people.  However, most significant is what Kenya taught me.   I spent much of my time advocating for my students.  The progression of that experience--I learned to advocate for myself.  Kenya enabled me to rediscover what I'd lost many years before.  My voice.  My inner self.  From then on...

 I found an inner strength to fight for myself. It was clear that nobody else would.
                                ― Tehmina Durrani

2.  Trick or Treat Children.  Halloween isn't at the top of my list of favorite holidays.  Prior to the first little ones coming to my door, I place a child's gate across the opening.  That way, since Gilly believes that every knock or ringing of the doorbell is a personal visit for him, the gate corrals him.  Then, while he greets, I hand out candy.  If the holiday isn't my favorite, it certainly is his!

Dogs love company. They place it first in their short list of needs.

                     --- J.R. Ackerley

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 28

1.  Guy--as in male--friends.  You know, the kind you can meet for coffee.  No romantic attachment--or even interest.  In most cases, these fellows have wives with whom I'm also friends.  But the guy relationship adds a dimension to my life that I appreciate. 

Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. 

Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.
                                                                 ― Elie Wiesel  

2.  Journals.  I have years of them!  They record my activities, thoughts, mistakes, craziness, sadness, and joy.  I can't remember when writing didn't clear away head-debris to enable me to see more clearly.   Occasionally rereading one is an excellent habit for observing one's grown...or not.

To me, reading through old letters and journals is like treasure hunting. Somewhere in those faded, handwritten lines there is a story that has been packed away in a dusty old box for years.
                                                                          ― Sara Sheridan   

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 27

1.  The little voice inside me.  Religious and cultural traditions all have words to describe that sometimes murmur, sometimes shout.  It brings wisdom and sound judgment.  For many years I resisted the voice.  Then finally in adulthood I realized I could trust my own intuition.  

At times you have to leave the city of your comfort 

and go into the wilderness of your intuition. 

What you'll discover will be wonderful. 

What you'll discover is yourself.”
                                     ― Alan Alda

2.  Friends of many years.  I am Facebook friends with a few people I knew in grade school.  I've stayed in touch with several high school classmates over the years.  In some cases our current lives don't intersect on a regular basis, but there is a depth, which history creates, that makes us family.  

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, 

but of respect and joy in each other's life. 

Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.
                                          ― Richard Bach 

Gratitude Journal -- Day 26

1.  Shopping AFTER a holiday.  Wow!  What opportunity!  Retailers aren't crazy to see me coming--except that I do help clear out inventory. But what a great feeling to come home knowing I've saved money--and on just a few occasions purchased items that I have no use for whatsoever...but they were sooo cheap!

Buying something on sale is a very special feeling.  

In fact, the less I pay for something, the more it is worth to me.  

I have a dress that I paid so little for that I am afraid to wear it.  

I could spill something on it, 

and then how would I replace it for that amount of money?  

                                  --- Rita Rudner

2.  The Value of Integrity.  I love the word itself.  It doesn't imply perfection.  It is not rule-based.   Values come from a deeper level of the human psyche and encompass a broader perspective.  In looking at integrity, I must ask myself if I am living honestly, with principle, and with virtue and trustworthiness.  

Lead your life so you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip. 
                                     ― Will Rogers

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 25

1.  Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  What was once thought by police and others to be "a domestic situation to stay away from" is now seen for what it really is:  A crime against all humanity--because domestic violence touches all levels of society!  Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten.  Yesterday I marched in a parade through downtown Medford to bring awareness to this criminal act--domestic violence counselors, police, judges and survivors spoke of the need to hold perpetrators accountable.  I am truly grateful to be a part of a community that cares for all its citizens.

Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, 

but, above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.”
                               ― Yehuda Bauer

 2.  Chinook winds.  I love those warm breezes after the cold has kept my muscles cramped together for survival.   Renewing.  Refreshing.  Rejuvenating.

While sleeping in a hammock, with the touch of a warm wind

we remember why we are in love with life!

                         --- Mehmet Murat Ildan  

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 24

1.  The experience of rain.  For the last several days, Southern Oregon has greeted the long awaited need for that watery substance.  While I realize the importance, my gratefulness comes from a more melancholy place.  I love the sound and smell--the drops hitting the leaves outside my bedroom window; the fragrance of thirsty soil.  I stand on my patio and close my eyes and my senses do a happy dance.

Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet. 

                              ― Roger Miller

2.  Courage in the world.  I don't believe anyone gets up in the morning with the intention of doing some act of courage.  Probably never shows up on a To Do list.  Courage comes unexpectedly, often from an unconscious level.  A parent steps back, realizing a moment is needed to calm down before disciplining his child.  An exhausted mom goes to work knowing her children depend upon her.  A cancer survivor once again faces the periodic tests.   Would I have the courage to step in their shoes? 

I wanted you to see what real courage is, 

instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. 

It's when you know you're licked before you begin, 

but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.
                             --- Atticus Finch  

                                                                   From To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 23

1.  My Grandfather.  Was the gentlest, kindest, and most hug-able man in my young life.  I'd run to his lap and beg, "Grandpa, tell me stories about the olden days," and away he'd go--hopping freight trains and drinking moonshine his most repeated tales.  He had a distaste for anything Democratic--NOT a role model for my current political views--and knew all professional sports were rigged.  But somehow those stories took on a tender tone, while I cuddled in his safe, loving arms.

 A Grandfather shares his wisdom, his stories, and most importantly 

a love that is different from all other loves. 

                                                                                       ---  Catherine Pulsifer

2.  Mother's Irish-Drinking-Catholic Family.  They taught me to laugh.  I mostly saw Mother's family at funerals and weddings--and as a child, I saw little difference in the two ceremonies.  "Spirits" was the common denominator...  Usually a band played and I danced, and my brother--the future musician--sat at the edge of the stage to watch the performers.  At each table one could hear laughter--family stories, neighborhood bar tales, etc. etc.  As I whirled around with or without a partner on the dance floor, the world was a happy, laughter-filled place.

May the sound of happy music, and the lilt of Irish laughter, 

fill your heart with gladness, that stays forever after.   

                             --- Irish Toast

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 22

1.  Creativity.  I have several really artistic friends, and I don't place myself in that league.  But I have spurts of creativity that equals my need for coffee w/CREAMER each morning.  I've made cards, created scrapbooks, sewn book bags, decorated journals, and now I'm embellishing gift bags.  I have oodles of these items!  I give many away.  I'm afraid my friends want to run when they see me coming...   However, I still appreciate this interest.  It definitely meets some hidden need. 

To be creative means to be in love with life. 

You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, 

you want to bring a little more music to it, 

a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.”
                                                 ― Osho

2.  Candlelight.  Whether the middle of the afternoon or late in the evening, there is something atmosphere-setting about the lovely glow of candlelight in a room.  The soft glimmer is welcoming to guests.  It softens the mood and keeps conflict at bay.   It creates a warm ambiance.  And on a very practical level, the blush of candlelight hides the unsightly.  

Firelight will not let you read fine stories but it's warm 

and you won't see the dust on the floor.  

                                                            --- Irish Proverb 

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 21

1.  Laughing at Myself.  I have made some pretty dumb mistakes during my life.  And age hasn't lessened that tendency.  While I don't intentionally make these blunders, in most cases they have little consequence but add a bit of silliness to my life.  

A person who knows how to laugh at himself 

will never cease to be amused.

       --- Shirley MacLaine

2.  Time Alone.  I truly love people.  My life is enriched by friends and the sometimes-serious-but-often-laughter-filled times we spend together.  But coming home to my little nest; anticipating a day without anything other than being alone brings a kind of peaceful joy.  I like spending time with myself--perhaps because most of the time I like myself.

Loving yourself…

does not mean being self-absorbed or narcissistic, or disregarding others. 

Rather it means welcoming yourself as the most honored guest in your own heart, 

a guest worthy of respect, a lovable companion.

                                         --- Margo Anand

 

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 20

1. Friends with Pets.  They really are a special breed--as evidenced by that extra layer of love they display.  Rarely do they have a please remove shoes rule.  Tan is often their new black.  And their canines and/or felines are as friendly as they.

   Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.”
                                          ― Anatole Franc

2.  IKEA.  O yes!!  While I admit to visual stimulus overload upon exiting, the journey through gives me ideas (and containers!) for every room, products to fulfill every need, and food that can very inexpensively hit the spot.  When planning a trip to Portland, I ask Jen if she has a need to go to IKEA while I'm visiting.  Of course she does!  She knows how to please Mother Mary!

I couldn't afford a trip to Europe after college

so I went backpacking through an IKEA to find myself.

            --- unknown 

 

 

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 19

1.  Morning Glories.   Each time I see those lovely gentle petals open, I am once again a small child in my pajamas sitting on the front porch of my grandparent's house eating a bowl of cereal.  My grandmother attached twine from the ground to the roof and on late spring and summer mornings I loved seeing the vertical array of color.  A lovely way to begin the day.

I will be the gladdest thing under the sun! 

I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one.”
                              ― Edna St. Vincent Millay

2.  Ice Cream and Peanuts.  The savory and the sweet--what contrast.  Kinda like an argument when both sides of the disagreement are appreciated.  Tasty and telling.

Something about the joy and pain of that moment,

something about the excruciating contrast

made me feel that no matter what happens now,  

my life has been worth it.  What a ride.

                                     --- Chris Crutcher 

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 18

1.  Serendipity.  Unanticipated good experiences make my day.  Syncing one device into another is a job I often leave for an expert--or my 12 year old grandson.  Yesterday I went to Radio Shack for the completion of that task.  I walked up to the counter and the clerk, looking down at some paperwork, asked me what I needed.  I explained and he took the devices.  Still no real eye contact, and certainly no smile.  I looked at his shirt and saw his name.  "You and my favorite cousin share the same name," I said.  He looked up and smiled and with enthusiasm shared the five-generation history of the name in his family.  When I left, his expression had changed and I continued my errands with a new vigor.  Serendipity is not one sided.

A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; 

 it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities 

that were somehow absent before the change.”
                                      ― Earl Nightingale

2.  Really good authors.  My test as a reader is whether the author can take me into the story--whether fiction or nonfiction.  To get lost in the words.   To find myself in their country or home or relationship.  To feel their pain.  To celebrate their triumphs as a close friend.  And lastly--our Book Club motto:   Good authors write books with beautiful sentences.

What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers.”
                                               ―  Logan Pearsall Smith

 

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 17

1.  Small, Intimate Groups.  Yesterday our Creative Crones met.  Just three of us.  We spoke of one member who died last month.  We talked of projects we're working on or plan to begin.  Honesty, authenticity, and respect are a natural presence.  And, oh yes, there is laughter...lots of laughter. 

I wonder if this is how people always get close:

They heal each other's wounds;

they repair the broken skin.

                           --- Lauren Oliver

2.  My meditation table.  I would love to say that each morning I sit quietly and listen for words of wisdom or go into a state of utter peace.  But that's not so. When I do sit for meditation, the icons on the table remind me of the values that are so important to me--compassion, wisdom, balance in life, joy, honor for all, passion for life, and continuing my journey.

Mindfulness meditation doesn't change life. 

Life remains as fragile and unpredictable as ever. 

Meditation changes the heart's capacity to accept life as it is. 

                                    --- Sylvia Boorstein

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 16

1.  Education.  I realize that life teaches us everyday--well, if we're paying any attention at all.    But I'm talking about the really formal sit-down, research-in-lab, and field-trips with challenging teachers.  I believe the value in any authentic educational setting is teaching the student how to think critically--to question, to look from many perspectives, to have a sense of wonderment.  I still love opportunities for those kind of exchanges!

It is the mark of an educated mind 

to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

                                    --- Aristotle

2.  My Book Club.  I love these women!  We each bring our own perspectives as we discuss content, character and author of each monthly selection.  Whether our reading is fiction or nonfiction, we have only one real requirement.  We want to read books with beautiful sentences. 

If you choose to read on a Kindle in the privacy of your own home, 

that's your business.  

But we're still calling this a @#$%& Book Club!

 

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 15 -- Silly but sincere...

1.  Learning to tie my shoes.  Don't laugh--it is a handy skill!  I hated it when shoes came out with velcro fasteners.  I liked twirling those little laces around into a fancy bow.  And for a short time--a very short time--the world, i.e. U.S. citizens--thought that velcro would solve all major problems....  As my mind darts to and fro with memories of shoe laces and the verb of tying, I think of one incident when I was 12...  I was sitting next to a friend--a really good friend as a matter of fact--and bent to tighten one of my laces.  Her feet were just beside mine, and a temptation lay before me--much too obvious to ignore.   As I leaned over, I reached for her laces and tied them together.  She didn't notice until she turned to hurriedly get up--where upon she flat out.   So perhaps that memory needs to go in the discard file.  None-the-less, I'm still thankful for the ability to tie shoes...

Learning how to love is like learning how to tie your shoes, 

and that’s precisely why I wear slippers.”

                                ― Jarod Kintz

2.  Hope Chests.  There is something romantic about them.  Open them and you think of your wedding, your gown, the colors you'll use, the food you'll serve, etc etc.  I'm not even sure young girls know of them today.  I had a Hope Chest--well, truthfully, it was more like a junk drawer at the bottom of my dresser.  I think I was about eight when I first mentioned it to my grandmother.  Grandma, do you have anything for my Hope Chest?  Or as I stood looking into her china cupboard longingly, Grandma, you never use that.  Could I have it for my hope chest?  Over the years, during a few of her more generous moments, my grandmother gave me a small dish, a cooking utensil and a pillowcase.   The summer I turned 15, our family moved from Ohio to Oregon.  I had to go through all I owned since there was little room for most of our possessions.  I looked in the bottom drawer with a heavy heart.  The task turned out to be very easy.  Evidently Grandma was only partially generous in her giving.  I pulled out a cracked bowl, a bent cooking utensil and a stained pillowcase.  Not much of a Hope Chest -- but I can smile at the memories!

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 14

1. Sunflowers.  Who doesn't smile when they see sunflowers?  They're happy--putting their face up to the sun!  Their long, narrow stems waltz to the rhythm of the breeze.

2.  Namaste--the light in me bows to the light in you.  With heads bowed, we repeat that word at the end of each yoga session.  A beautiful honoring of one another--connections are made.  An inclusive word that celebrates all.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters 

compared to what lies within us.”
                                            ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 13

1.  Memories of Mother.  In a week, Mother will have been gone 2 1/2 years.  To be without the woman who was such a significant part of my life has an unbelievable impact.  It is a profound loss.  Such trivial things bring on the memories--red dish towels, seasonally decorated socks, flower-garden patterned quilts.  Within the sadness comes a little smile as I wonder--What memories will my daughters hold onto when I'm gone?

When a daughter loses a mother, the intervals between grief responses 

 lengthen over time, but her longing never disappears. 

 It always hovers at the edge of her awareness, 

prepared to surface at any time, in any place, in the least expected ways. 

                                                                                                         -- Hope Edelman

2.  Heroes.  I'm not talking about the Spiderman or John Wayne types.  I mean the ones that pop up in our lives when least expected--the store clerks genuinely interested in helping us; the Child Welfare case manager who provides a loving home environment to a child while parents get the resources they need; the friend who sticks by you when life is handing you more than you can deal with alone;  an unexpected invitation to a movie.  Heroes in my life are people who go beyond themselves and enrich others.

Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with. 

                                         ― Brodi Ashton

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 12

1. BBC Series.  It's an addiction I have no intention of giving up!  Approximately 17 series so far...    I have some reluctance to ever actually return to Great Britain due to the high murder rates--Midsomer County has at least three every time Inspector Barnaby is called; about the same wherever Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme are creating lovely gardens while searching for killers.  Of course not all the series contain gruesome bodies.  Many are a lighter, more slice-of-life-in-a-village type.  I've not even begun to exhaust my list--so if I'm difficult to find, just take a gander across the pond.

                              Rosemary Boxer:  ...and overcome with grief, she committed suicide.
                              Laura Thyme:  And overcome with tidiness, she buried herself?
                                                                                   --- Rosemary and Thyme, 2003 

2.  Chocolate.  Since I truly believe in healthy eating habits, I created a new food group for this smooth, gooey, sensual pleasure--removes all guilt.  And after reading the quote below, I realize chocolate also brings one a sense of participating in history...

 Just the other day, I was in my neighborhood Starbucks, waiting for the post office to open. I was enjoying a chocolatey cafe mocha when it occurred to me that to drink a mocha is to gulp down the entire history of the New World. From the Spanish exportation of Aztec cacao, and the Dutch invention of the chemical process for making cocoa, on down to the capitalist empire of Hershey, PA, and the lifestyle marketing of Seattle's Starbucks, the modern mocha is a bittersweet concoction of imperialism, genocide, invention, and consumerism served with whipped cream on top. 
                                                                               --- Sarah Vowell

 

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 11

1.  The picture below is of my brother and me when we were about one and five.  You can see my arm around his shoulder.  Being the oldest has always drawn a protective circle around my heart for my brother.  But in the last few years since we live nearer one another, an unexpected change has occurred.  Now he often helps me with painting projects or moving a tree in my yard, and I realize the taking-care-of image has moved to the younger sibling.  A very sweet change from a special brother.

2.   While visiting my grandparents many years ago, I asked them to sit side-by-side so I could take their picture.  Quite reluctantly they complied.  I then asked Grandpa to put his arm around Grandma.  More reluctance.  The finished product is indicative of the romance and touchy-feely action between them--but you gotta love them!

A FAMILY IS A BUNCH OF PEOPLE 

WHO WILL STICK WITH YOU

THROUGH ALL THE PROBLEMS

YOU WOULDN'T HAVE

IF THEY WEREN'T 

YOUR FAMILY.

     

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 10

1.  Lithia Park.   Everyday during this colorful season, a walk through and around this beautiful park gives one a different view--today the beginnings of color; tomorrow a burst of red and gold flame.  Deer roam freely--looking up as one passes to say walk quietly and don't trample my lovely home.  The stream runs amid boulders spilling into pools and meandering under walking bridges.  The sound of its gentle flow gives way to a new tenderness in one's heart--a gift of the park.

We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our heart.

                       --- William Hazlitt 

2.  My English/Scottish Country Dance class.   I'm beginning my third year of classes.   I now know another language:  duple minor, triple minor, first and second diagonals, clover leaf turn, fall back.  And when our language skills lag and movements less than perfect, we smile and catch up on the next move.  The friendships that develop in class are people we want to be with!

 

To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.

                  --- Jane Austen 

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 9

1.  Containers.  A silly thing perhaps.  But nothing gives me greater satisfaction--remember I'm retired and past the point of high adventure--than a trip to The Container Store.  Shelves lined with all sizes and shapes of boxes and baskets...my salivating glands work overtime at the mention.  They must be pretty--and if they're not when purchased, I add embellishments--organization is NOT a utilitarian endeavor; it's part of the decor. 

Organized people are just too lazy to look for something...--a truism. 

2.  Memory of a feather bed.  My third grade teacher invited a friend and me to stay overnight with her family.  We slept in the attic in a feather bed.  Cuddling down into the thick softness, covered with homemade quilts, we recreated stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Anne of Green Gables.   Are feather beds still in existence?

Don't you wish you could take a single childhood memory 

and blow it up into a bubble and live inside it forever?
                                                   ― Sarah Addison Allen

 

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 8

1.  My Fitbit...Zip.  Yes, I no longer rave about my Flex since it's probably reached Japan by now--lost on the coast during an otherwise lovely day.   I have a lanyard coming which will enable me to wear the Zip around my neck--since that's where things must end up so they won't get lost.  (I'm hoping--hint, hint--for a couple of beautifully beaded lanyards from Santa--who by the way is the proprietor of a lovely shop called DearGirlJewelry.)   Now that I'm into counting my steps again, I want to take off for parts beyond...'cept that will take a GPS--though being directionally challenged does allow for some interesting experiences.

My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty.  

She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the heck she is.

                                             --- Ellen DeGeneres 

2.  Yoga.  While I'm thinking about exercise--truly hate that word!--I do not put yoga in that category.  I can feel the changes in my body as I stretch and move to the directions of my instructor.  Acceptance of myself.  Much less pain.  Much more energy.   

In our uniquely human capacity to connect movement with breath and spiritual meaning, 

yoga is born. 

                                                 --- Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa 

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 7

1.  My grandchildren.   While they navigate two generations beyond me, and often speak a completely foreign language, there is a connection that defies estrangement.    They teach me.  They allow me to use skills that see only their best, and smile when actions might be questioned.  What a lovely time of life!

Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild.

      --- Welsh Proverb 

2.  October in Southern Oregon.  Sunlit days.  The grand finale of color before the skeletons of winter encompass the valley.  Cooler nights.  OLLI classes and the meeting of friends on the English dance floor.  Setting aside that stack of books for winter's read.  A slower pace.

The harvest moon hangs round and high

It dodges clouds high in the sky,

The stars wink down their love and mirth

The Autumn season is giving birth.

Oh, it must be October...

            --- Pearl N. Sorrels 

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 6

1.  Cabaret Theatre.  Yesterday, a friend and I saw Backwards in Heels:  The Ginger Rogers Musical--one amazing production!  Another reason I love living in southern Oregon!  When I was a child, I saw the movie American in Paris with Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron.  I danced my way home--oblivious to anyone around me.  Now I just sit and enjoy--while my heart performs the movements.

No woman ever ages beyond eighteen in her heart.

          --- Robert A. Heinlein

2.  Gentle mornings.  Slow awareness as I open my eyes.  Hearing the birds' wake-up songs.  Watching the sun's rays slither through the leaves bringing light to my bedroom.  Reading in the quietness of the morning.  Sipping my coffee/CREAMER--capitalization intentional--to take my drowsiness to alertness. 

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive--

to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

                          --- Marcus Aurelius

(Non-morning people will hate that quote...)

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 5

1.  Wearing my granny gown.  When I was a child, I asked my grandmother over and over to make me a flannel granny gown.  Whatever her reason, it didn't happen.  So naturally my daughters--throughout childhood--had many frilly, flannel gowns--vicariously I fed that inner need.  I recently found one in my adult size.  Now as cooler nights visit I put on my cozy gown and snuggle into the covers finally fulfilling that childhood dream.

2.  Trees.  When I bought my home, the backyard was a mass of weeds.  Now, seven years later, maples, dogwood, sugar gum and arborvitae are spread over the very small landscape.  I have shade, fragrance, the rustling of leaves, and everywhere I look is color and texture.   I walk among them and our energies intertwine. 

We can only be said to be alive in those moments 

when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

                                  — Thornton Wilder

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 4

1.  This morning Gilly is snuggled beside me on his Gilly blanket.  He is my man--49 years by human standards.  He makes me laugh every day--carrying around a stuffed cat (that's almost as big as he is) when he gets excited.  He's intent on picking up after me--no food scraps on my kitchen floor.  He sleeps with his ears alert--always my protector.  My buddy.

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.

                                                                                           --- Josh Billings

2.  Yesterday I attended an all day conference that focused on local resources for enhancing the lives of children and families.   I feel privileged to be a part of a system that helps individuals recognize their strengths.

The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become.

                                                        --- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

Gratitude Challenge -- Day 3

1. Laughter is important in my life.  I love to laugh with people--not at, though sometimes the boundaries lack distinction.  My laugh is not soft and feminine.  It is loud!--occasionally even coarse.  Life would be very dull without spontaneous laughter.

I'm thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.

                        -- Woody Allen 

2.  I have a framed quote on the porch by my front door:  There is no house like the house of belonging.  These words by David Whyte can be seen by all who enter my home.  I'm thankful when my friends visit and want them to know they are welcome and belong...

When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.

  -- Dalai Lama 

Gratitude Challenge--Day 2

1.  This morning I'm thinking about my friend who died on Monday morning.  Gail lived life with such beauty--a loving, caring woman; an artist; a writer.  And she died with the most amazing grace.   Since I knew Gail had explored both Christianity and Buddhism, I asked her about her beliefs as she faced death.  Her face radiated a smile as she said, "Mary, in the end, it just doesn't matter.  People's prayers, meditations--however they choose to include me in their thoughts--all speak of their love."  A beautiful lady I feel privileged to have known.

2.  Though I shy away from extremes, I am ever so grateful for contrasts.  Personalities.  Colors.  Perspectives.  Cultures.  Delving into any or all of these expands my thinking and ultimately, broadens my world.

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.  Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

                     -- Albert Schweitzer 

Gratitude Challenge--Day 1

1. Early this morning, I heard Canadian geese flying overhead.  I love their sound because it indicates change.  A new season is before us.  Holidays and family get-togethers to celebrate! 

2.  An OLLI class I'm taking is reading through The Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows--the story of the occupation of Guernsey Island by the Germans during World War II.   A great opportunity to understand a perspective of life that none of us have experienced.  

 Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  

It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

                    -- Melody Beattie