Friday night grateful list

 Well, I only skipped one week, so that's not soooo bad, right? The groove might take a bit, but it will come back. Just saying so helps solidify that notion.

This Friday night is cool and rainy, and I'm tucked up and away, ready for a little hibernation. I have a quote somewhere that I calligraphied back in the day: There are years that ask questions and years that answer them. I have no idea who said that. I just now thought that about this week--could the same sentiment apply? Hard to say; weeks go by in a flash, whereas years... nevermind, years go by in flashes too.

Occasionally, though, there is this:

I crack myself up. I am more of a lady than THAT, right? Hmmm. Don't answer.

Seth got a summer job! I know, right?! He's going to be a cashier at the local WalMart. Before you get all opinionated about the evils of Walmart, let me tell you about ours. I mean, it's WalMart, but. The local management is the kind that supports local nonprofits. The employees are excellent volunteers for nonprofit events in the community. Also, they hire people (elderly, differently abled) that might not have a shot at working elsewhere. So I'm not as inclined to diss the WalMart. We're just excited that a) he's gainfully employed and b) he's gainfully employed. Gives a kid a sense of purpose to have somewhere to go when they get up in the morning, right?

I have a feeling this experience will make Seth get a little more interested in internships during the rest of his college summers, which of course I think is a great idea too. It's just hard to do that when you have only one year of college under your belt. So we'll be grateful for this summer and the joy of having him home.

Oddly, I'm grateful for the coolness of the last couple of weeks, after the brief but impactful heat blast. I like the increased cloud action, and not having to water the heck out of everything morning and night. One funny side effect, though--I was looking at mail order catalogs and tossing them into recycling and saw something about "Summer Sale" and thought, really, that doesn't seem right, isn't summer over? No, silly, it hasn't even begun. I'm all mixed around in my seasons right now--feels like it could be either spring or fall, but definitely not summer. I suppose some weather-nik would point out to me that it's officially not summer until Tuesday. Yep. I get that.

I have eaten three figs off my fig trees already this season. Right before the brief heat blast, I moved one small tree that I had overwintered in the kitchen out onto the back porch. There were at least a dozen figs on the tree, and the sudden heat caused three of them to ripen within 48 hours. Cracked me up. They were teeeeny tiny, but they were very yummy and I may have gobbled them up. I am looking forward to the other figs ripening at a more leisurely pace.

Have you ever had a time when you were really grateful to just be you? I know there are people who, so I hear, pine to be someone or something else, other than what they are. I don't know how unusual it is to say I am really, really happy to be me. Grateful, even. All those placards of  "you are enough" have always struck me as a little odd. Of course you are, dear one. How could it be any other way?

I have had some moments of despair this week, feeling very much like all the talk of love winning over hate is really just a load of nonsense, because obviously hate is winning. Just look around. And then I breathe a bit and read wise words and say my prayers and breathe some more. And I go out into the world, which is all any of us can do, and try to make things better in the small little circle of influence I have. Because really, that's all you can do, right?

 

I am so grateful for people who lift others up and encourage.

I am grateful for mornings. Both the weekday mornings when I'm ready to go conquer the to-do list, and weekend mornings, when I am ready to roll over for a bit more of a snooze.

I am grateful for books, for the plethora of new ideas being generated by creative minds and put down in words. (Didn't reading that last phrase make you want to start singing, "How wonderful life is, when you're in the world?") I have so many good books I want to read, listen to, enjoy.

I am grateful for summer flavors--every year I welcome the fresh tastes of the season with such enthusiasm, you'd think I'd never eaten fresh, homemade pesto or asparagus or rhubarb before. It is such a treat to live in such a rich agricultural area.

I am grateful for family.

I am grateful for the pauses that remind me to look around and notice the little things that bring me joy.

I am grateful for the beauty in nature. Every week there's a new "favorite" blooming in the yard. The apricot tree is full of fruit ready to ripen. Green is everywhere.

I am grateful for sleep, and for quality shades in our bedroom so that the early morning summer light can't get in!

I'm grateful for a day of rest to bring back a little pep in my step. That's what weekends do best--re-pep!

I'm grateful for Amazon Prime. I know, aren't we all? 

A little something from Seth for the grateful list:


Wishing you a peaceful weekend.