Friday night grateful list

I should have two weeks worth of gratitude saved up, shouldn't I? Well, as a matter of fact, I do. (I know, you're shocked.) Truth is, with all the nuttiness near and far, I am increasingly grateful on a daily basis for the peace of my surroundings, the love in my home, and the ability to find joy in the smallest of moments.

We have been so blessed with the pace of this summer, heat-wise. We popped back up into the 90s one day this week, but other than that, it's been 70s and 80s. This has really helped the apricots not ripen at the speed they usually do, which has also been helpful since I have not been especially motivated to pick them. I can only eat so many, we have proven that we're not big jammy people, and I've already inflicted them on friends and co-workers. But I think this weekend, jam will be made, and more will be picked, and eaten, and baked. I do so love their color and flavor. A true sign of summer, to me.

Also a sign of summer in this valley are the sunsets. Pretty much every evening is beautiful. Even if the day is nothing special and even blah and cloudy, something happens about a half hour before sunset, and the light filters across the valley. I haven't tired of it in all the years I've lived here, and being out of town a bit the past decade, with more unobstructed views, my appreciation has only grown. I am often struck by sunrises as well, being a morning person, but there is truly something special about a Walla Walla sunset.

Still loving having the boy home. Thankfully, haven't quite started the countdown to the college return (well, the parents haven't, but the boy probably has), and having our little family routines and chats brings me great joy. Husband and I talk all the time about the process of tossing youngsters out of the nest (well, our youngster in particular) and this sweet little comic resonated with me. I think a great deal about what it was like for me to leave home at various stages: boarding school, college, Australia for a bit of school and then a bit of work, then more college. It feels more complicated for Seth and his generation. I don't know if it actually *is* or whether it's just the press around millennials and the challenges of employment and how many end up back home with the 'rents.

 

It can be easy to fall into thinking how the world is more complicated, with various and frequent violent actions taking place near and far. Seems out of whack, unreal. I think, has it always been like this? And of course will see opinions posted, "No! It's worse than ever!" and two seconds later, "Things are really much better than ever before in human history." Sure. Whatever. I'll just keep telling the people I love that I love them, and not take a single day for granted.

This week I am most grateful for:

My mix of introversion and extroversion. I like people well enough, but boy howdy I like my quiet time too. I'm glad to (mostly) get a good balance, even if it means some weekends I don't leave the house for 48 hours. 

Singing. Singing is awesome, even if one is not especially gifted with the voice. It is lovely to hear coworkers pipe up with songs at various times throughout the day too. But, it sure would be nice if a few of them were old enough to know who Rick Astley is, is all I have to say about that. Sheesh. 

This song got shared a bunch this week, and I loved it. I have always appreciated this song--I think I went so far as to make a mix tape (well, CD, but you know what I mean) a few years back of various artists covering it. Rufus' version has very much popularized the song for the less-Leonard-Cohen crowd, and the addition of the choir is quite powerful.

Memories. I had an old friend from my Australia school days reach out on Facebook recently, and it compelled me to dig up some old pictures and relive some pretty fun times down under. Hard to believe how long ago that was, and some things are fuzzy while other memories are pretty clear.

Greenery. I found a baby tears plant recently, and have loved seeing it flourish. Totally takes me back to my childhood, when I usually had a baby tears plant around. Very sweet and green.

Words. This piece, "Thirty Things I've Learned," popped up as something I'd shared on Facebook a couple of years back, and I re-read it. Good stuff. Probably need to schedule an annual reading of it. Also popping back into my feed lately have been Pema words, which always always always resonate.

Patience is not learned in safety. It is not learned when everything is harmonious and going well. When everything is smooth sailing, who needs patience? If you stay in your room with the door locked and the curtains drawn, everything may seem harmonious, but the minute anything doesn’t go your way, you blow up. There is no cultivation of patience when your pattern is to just try to seek harmony and smooth everything out. Patience implies willingness to be alive rather than trying to seek harmony. -Pema Chodron

Love that woman. Should probably schedule an annual reading of that nugget, too.

Do you remember what we did before emjois? I don't. It's very strange, that we all end sentences with smiles and winks and hearts and little slices of cake. Oh I know, YOU probably don't. But I do, and it's weird. I would never have thought that I'd be searching on my phone for a little celebratory emoji to wish a friend a happy birthday with. Go figure.

All that is to say, if I could put a little emoji here for you, I would. Oh wait, I can.

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.

Friday night grateful moment

A little shocking to come over here and realize it's been more than a year since my last post. Shocking, and then not. Time passes so quickly, *that's* the shocking thing. I never really get used to how quickly the days, weeks, months roll by. I haven't meant to be so absent, but the fullness of life (kind of an understatement) has had my brain in other places for large chunks of time. I'm not going to make some proclamation (see this post, and this post, sigh) about the future, but it has been on my mind for some time to come back to the blog and post more regularly.

Tonight I am looking out our bedroom slider and watching a beautiful summer sunset reflect on the mountains, while close by (I could probably hear cheers if I opened up the sliding door, but it's quite warm) the local high school is graduating a fresh crop of seniors. I am nostalgic for what was just taking place for Seth just a short blip of a year ago, and so grateful for the year he's at at PLU. What a true blessing it is to know that your kid is content in their journey. I know that "content" is a fluid state, but for now, we'll take it and appreciate having him home for the summer.

I went looking for Seth grad photos, you know, to really wallow in a little nostalgia. I love this one of him and his buddy Noble. Such fine young men. So proud of them both.

And then I saw this doozy of a grad photo from (cough) 30 (cough) years ago. That is one wild blast from the past, seeing the four of us looking so youthful and sprite-like. I'm grateful for this family that launched me out into the world, and provided such a good foundation.

I do appreciate the memory jogs from the Facebook memories that pop up on occasion and remind me of what I waas doing or saying five or six years ago. (I am also very aware of how horrid those memories can be for people who have had to endure a tragic life event., however. I am sure I would feel differently if I had to see some pictures just ta-da into my feed.) Anyway, where I'm going with this: Apparently the spring of 2010 was really cold--lots of memory posts about soup and boots and rain and rugging up in the cool temps. This year we had a really early warm spell  (fruit trees blooming! everything budding!), then cooled off for many weeks. Just as I was thinking, "well, at least my friends won't have to host graduation parties in 100-degree weather," up popped the temps again. I've been grateful for the cool weather, but the fact that the rain and wind has often fallen on the weekend has brought us to a rather jungle state in the yard.

National Doughnut Day today. Who knew? I clued in last evening and thus popped by the premier doughnut joint this morning on my way in to work and got a few for the co-workers. I may have mentioned my love for apple fritters a time or ten before; there's something quite compelling about a Friday + doughnut combination.

I saw this funny dog pic just this week and really, really related. Replace the bagel with my apple fritter. 

This week I am most grateful
for laughter, even on the stressful days
for joy in the flowers and fruits in the yard
for love
for green fields, green trees, green hills, green everything!
for roadtrips
for family
for pups and chickens
for cleared off desks and answered emails
for egg salad
for the smell of summer in Walla Walla--dust and onions and alfalfa
for age, and the understanding that comes from having walked a mile or two on this earth
for another week of progress towards goals
for friendship
for my morning routines, which set up the whole day so well
for my guys. Always and always, my guys.

Glad to be back in this familiar space. I wish you the best of weekends.

Peace.

Friday night grateful moment

So perhaps my little moment of "I'm back" (see NYE post) was a little premature. You think? Sigh. My heart was in the right place, for sure. My brain and ability to follow through has been completely used up elsewhere the past few months. But, no matter. Somewhere mid-afternoon today I decided I'd post tonight, and here I am. No more or less grateful than any other Friday night, but just here. Rusty but writing.

It's spring here in Walla Walla, with all that that implies. Sun some moments, rain at others. And oh how we need the rain, so I'm not arguing with that, even though I get chilled and maybe a wee bit crabby about that. I will remain grateful for whatever moisture we can drum up before the real warmth starts and we go into official drought mode. We are greener than green right now, and that makes me very happy.

Seth approaches his last weeks of high school, and I'm so grateful for these days together. He's done pretty well at keeping "senioritis" at bay, and has been busy with many extracurricular activities, but he's here and he's happy with his college choice (Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma) and feeling ready to move on to this next phase. Yay for endings and beginnings and all the things that make these passages significant. (With Seth's graduation will come visiting family, and I'm really looking forward to that!)

This has been a rough few months (year?) locally and further afield, for family, friends and friends of friends, in all areas of health, grieving and loss. I can't really even tally the number of cancer diagnoses, deaths, divorces and other heartaches, and on some level, I feel a little numb. A bit in the arena of, don't let it all in, because it's really just a big ball of sadness. But for the living/currently undiagnosed, it's one foot in front of the other. What else can you do? I'm grateful for my health, for sure, and don't take it for granted. I'm grateful for another day to hug my husband and child and assure them of my love.

One of my favorite things from these past few months is that we have acquired a few chickens. This is especially exciting given our collective love of eggs, of course. And now we have on hand at any moment the freshest of eggs. There have been many lovely golden omelets and deviled eggs, and Seth's breakfast egg sandwich is extra delicious--so I've been told. My Saturday morning poached egg ritual has also risen a notch or two. It took me a bit to taper off my usual egg grocery purchases, so we were fairly swimming in egg options there for a bit. Now, we've got it more or less down to a steady diet.

My mom has been traveling with her sisters this week, and I've enjoyed thinking about their time together, grateful they have each other. Sisters are awesome, whether by blood or by marriage or by choice. I am grateful to have lovely sisters in the last two of those categories.

For Mother's Day the boys treated me to a day in TriCities with a couple of glorious nursery visits as well as lunch out together. It was exactly what I wanted and needed. Now, to get the plants in their appropriate spots. I have dug up my dahlia bed (it took a big hit this winter, though I'm not sure exactly why, given it wasn't a very severe winter) and am transplanting them elsewhere. The snowball bushes and lilacs both bloomed gloriously, and the irises and peonies are currently going to town!

And now for a couple of random pics I found on my phone. I am very grateful for my phone. I love having a camera with me every minute of the day. I know, how weird. But I like to document things, however mundane. Go figure.

I am ready for this weekend and all the rest and recuperation that implies, physically, mentally and spiritually. I hope that whatever your weekend holds, it's all that you wish for.

Peace.

Friday night grateful moment: Happy

I have a confession. I had not heard the song "Happy" until tonight. I know, how insane is that? It's only been everywhere, all over the place, for ages. How I've missed it is a feat, it itself. And to top it off, I have even been gifted the song on a CD from one of my dear music friends. Somehow that one had not made it into my CD player in the car, quite yet. It will be asap, I swear!

It could be a tiny testament to how distractable I've been, I suppose, a version of busy that, for me, tends to sap my ability to read anything longer than a blog post or article. It's not pretty (in terms of concentration outside of work topics), and I think I need a reset button or digital sabbatical to undo some of my more wound-up tendencies, lately. Meditation, prayer, quiet time? Good thoughts, all.

Regardless, I feel the need to share the song tonight, even though this hasn't been the happiest of weeks. Let's just say it was one of those weeks where reminders of life's fragility felt close. I could list my own reasons for feeling fragile and you'd have yours too, surely. Everyone who reaches a certain age and has any kind of interaction with other humans on this planet knows loss and heartache on some level. I can't imagine it being otherwise. And the sweet part of the bittersweet is all the love, all the happy, all the warmth and joy that exists and that I get to experience daily. The bitter is what it is, just that. Sure makes me appreciate the sweet, and the happy. 




My home is warm, my tummy is full, the pups are dozing on the floor nearby. I can hear Seth's voice as he visits on the phone with his special lady friend (gosh, if he only read the blog, imagine how annoyed he'd be with that phrase?!) in the other room. Husband and I share snippets of conversation and I am thrilled with the two days ahead, where the break in the routine is definitely welcome. I am very grateful for all of the above. Very much so, tonight.

Wishing you the same.

Friday night grateful moment

Oh the joys of Valentine's Day falling on/near the weekend! What a lovely way to crash-land into some rest and relaxation.

A little fondue for two, followed by chocolate mousse and chatting by the fire. Really, what could be better?

Tonight, and every night, I am grateful for love. I'm grateful for second chances and I'm grateful for acceptance--being accepted and doing the accepting.

There's a quote on the wall in my Grandma's bedroom that I did up in calligraphy for her, sometime in college. While we might quibble about what is old love, I appreciate the sentiment. In many ways our love still feels new, and I'm grateful for that. But then a lot of days it seems like we've been together forever, so old love seems appropriate!

New love is silver, wait for the west
Old love is gold love, old love is best.

I love our old love, husband. I am grateful for you.

Thirty days of gratitude: Day 2

Today the word is love.

This collage box represents our wedding day, from the quotes that we had around the room, the invitation, place cards, photo, flower petals, ribbon and even the jeweled clasp/button I wore on my dress. It was a lovely day but what is really lovely are the eight years since, and the love that has grown stronger during that time. I couldn't ask for a better partner to be celebrating eight years with, later this month.

Sept. 27: Life-changing moment of gratitude

Today's blogging challenge: Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.

There are quite a few of these I could write about, but when I sat down and and thought about it, picking THE ONE to share is pretty easy. (Take a look at Jen's. Mine is similar, minus the screaming and slamming of phones.)

Approaching the holidays, 2003... It had been a rough year. If you know me at all, you know why. I was catering up a storm with holiday parties and personal cheffing, and really, finally, starting to hit my stride with being a single parent and running a business. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the catering kitchen, was looking forward to a little chill time at the holidays--with Seth on Christmas Eve, and then spending the following day with friends.

It was Dec. 18--the day my niece Lucy was born--and I remember the day quite vividly. I had a lunch to cater at my previous place of employment. They were a good client and I often cooked for their management group, in addition to the lunches and personal chef dinners I dropped off.

I went in and was setting up and one of the managers came and was chatting with me. Then husband (obviously not husband then!) came in and we started talking too. This is someone I had worked with for 11 years and knew fairly well. But something that day was different. I don't know what or why, but it was very palpable. To me, at least. I left thinking, "Huh. Well. Huh," and pondered it for some time, into the middle of the night.

Fast forward to the next week, and Christmas Eve. I was running around the kitchen like a crazy lady, putting together lunches and dinners for final deliveries before the holiday. I looked up, and there he was, at the door. He brought back a ramekin I'd left at the building from lunch the week previous. I walked outside with him and we chatted for a couple of minutes. He said he'd heard I didn't have Seth for Christmas and he wanted to make sure I was okay. My heart melted. Seriously. Even writing it now, my heart swells up with how kind and considerate he was and is. I assured him that I had Seth that night for our Christmas, and would be okay. And then we hugged goodbye. What? Huh? I know, right?! It just happened. A first for us, definitely.

I went back into the kitchen and the girl who was working for me at the time said, "You know, he likes you." (It felt very high school.) I said, "You think? I don't know." But I knew. :)

And from there it began. Ever so slowly. So very slowly. As only a bachelor and a recently-divorced girl can progress. And here we are, almost 10 years later, with our own happy ending.

When I think back on that week, I am so grateful for a moment when I noticed something was different. I'm grateful that what I felt in that room was obviously felt by him too, and that he took the risk to come find me.

What's your distinct moment, when your life took a turn?

Jen and I (and now my mom and Lisa too!) are blog challenging throughout September. You can catch her blog over at Stuff Jen Says. If you want to write along with us, give me a shout and I'll send you the blog prompts.

Sept. 18: My happy place

Blog challenge for today: Show us your happy place.

If this picture is being taken it means:
1. I'm not driving.
2. Which means either my son or husband are driving.
3. Feet up = I'm on a road trip.
4. Which means vacation.
5. With my guys.

Truly my happiest place on earth is not a place at all, but wherever I can be with the two guys I am blessed to live with.

Jen and I (and occasionally my mom and Lisa too!) are blog challenging throughout September. You can catch her blog over at Stuff Jen Says. If you want to write along with us, give me a shout and I'll send you the blog prompts.

Friday night grateful moment

 How quickly the week has flown... I wish I could say that blogging (or the lack thereof) has been weighing on my mind, but alas, right now, it has not. I have thoughts and ideas about blogging, and on the weekend I actually cook (shocking!), but thankfully don't feel guilty about the lack of time to get it all down onto "paper." That time will come again... but I will not abandon Friday night!

I'm grateful this week that my family is safe--from my aunt who is in flooded Calgary, Alberta, but able to stay in her home without evacuating (so far); to my parents on their gallivant around Europe; to my brother and family in sunny California; to my beloved in-laws across the pasture. All safe and accounted for. This is not to be taken for granted, indeed.

Seth's home.

My husband bought me a flower. In spite of my dismal track record with orchids, I came home to a beautiful specimen this afternoon, and his thoughtfulness touched me.

Last weekend I spent a little too long in the sun/yard. Not in an overt, holy-cow-she's-sunburned kind of way, but just in a worn out, bedraggled fashion... I got really into it, and as much as it makes me smile when I think of my childhood yard-avoidance issues, I really love getting things ticked off the list. And, once you're hot and dirty, you might as well stay hot and dirty, right?! I am grateful for a fairy quick recovery during the week, and no lingering sun effects.

The rain came in and took over after the sunshine of the weekend. Odd to have rain to this extent in June... but rain it did, and plenty of it. The poor wheat has those trampled marks like a big giant has been stomping around in the field. I hope with some sun and less rain, it will stand upright again, but who knows. We went to bed in the rain, woke up in the rain, and looked out windows at rain during the day. It was weird, but refreshing.

I'm thankful for music. I had some fun in iTunes last weekend, getting ready for my big yard day. Music, podcasts and audiobooks always make my hours outside fly by. Straight No Chaser has a new album and I really enjoyed listening to most of it (got a little acapella fatigued by the last few songs...) as I bopped around the yard on the mower.

I'm especially thankful tonight for laughter. For the ability to see the humor, even in sometimes less-funny situations. It's a sign of my adoration for Jimmy Fallon that I find this video so very amusing, even though it has Brad Pitt (who I am somehow less fond of) in it. Who thinks this stuff up?!



I'm also thankful for tears. Tears are so, so good, sometimes. Like a mental clearing away of cobwebs. I'm not one of those chronic criers, by any means (a la Holly Hunter in Broadcast News), but every once in awhile... even an ad can set me off.

So this:



Can turn me into this:

I'm grateful that it's summer, and that these long days of light will go on for awhile longer. Since we are just solstice-ing now, it will start to tip back toward shorter days, sadly. But at least it takes awhile, and we can have beautiful sunsets and early sunrises and evenings by the firepit between now and the 4 p.m. darkness of winter. Love this time of year!

And I am grateful for all the usuals: the colors of summer, the flavors of summer, the sounds of summer. The birds are having a heyday in the twilight outside our open slider windows, and I love hearing them!

I'm ever-so-grateful it's the weekend. Sleep. Bliss.

My friends make me grateful; for their laughter and love and sharing, I am glad.

Wishing you a peaceful weekend.

A-Z blogging challenge: M is for Marriage

M is one of the letters with all kinds of possibilities... I considered Mistakes (cooking and otherwise), I also toyed with Marshmallows and/or Moderation (two words that don't often go in the same sentence around here!).

But then this weekend brought about puttering in the yard and house, tidying up and organizing life. I traditionally do said puttering with my iPod in my pocket, listening to music or comedy or a book. There's an essay on my iPod by Ann Patchett that is only available by audio, and which I happen to adore. I had not listened to it in about a year, I'd say, and was reminded again as I listened and worked of all that I admire in Ann Patchett's writing, and all that I  enjoy about Marriage.

The essay is called This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, an essay about Patchett's family and personal history with marriage (and divorce), and is a short listen, at an hour and half.

I really like Patchett's storytelling (though I have to confess I've stalled out about two-thirds of the way through Bel Canto, not sure exactly why). In this essay, however, she weaves the past into her present, and tells of her own shortcomings and failures in her first marriage and subsequent affair, and her adamant refusal to consider marriage again, convinced there could be nothing worse than a failed second marriage. She does of course eventually get married again, and this essay is her telling to a young friend who asks, "Tell me the story of your happy marriage..."

There is so much of Patchett's story I don't relate to, but yet, so much that I do, that it seems every married (and certainly any divorced) person surely would. Though, in reading through some of the reviews on Goodreads, apparently not...

While I didn't immediately assume post-divorce that I would remarry, when I did begin a new relationship that had some substance (husband), I knew that I wouldn't be content to just date/be companions forever. I'm the marrying kind. While not the marrying kind, Ann reflected back after finally marrying her husband, and had the inevitable "Why didn't we do this sooner?" moment, forgetting all her angst toward the institution over the years.

Yet for all its failures (statistics don't lie, 2012 saw a 46% divorce rate in the U.S.), marriage has so much to recommend it. For me, that list includes, but is not limited to:
* Someone to bust a gut laughing with.
* A debate partner for important topics. We may have different important topics, but getting husband's input on my ideas only improves them. (And I like to believe the same about his, of course!)
* A shoulder to cry on. Literally at times.
* The mirror to myself--when I see my bitchiness/pettiness reflected back at me in his face, it can be rather enlightening.
* A prayer partner who knows my heart.
* Someone to taste test my cooking triumphs, as well as my not-so-hots.
* A champion for my causes, and someone who always has my back. Always.
* A willing recipient and giver of foot rubs.
* Someone to plot "somedays" with.
* Never having to do some of those awful around-the-house tasks that I hate, because he doesn't mind. And doing the same for him.
* Someone to be quiet with. How many people can you really enjoy companionable silence with? It's dreamy.
* A back up in discussion (argument?) with Seth. That additional voice in the parenting mix is super helpful, and husband gets a better response than I sometimes! (And, as I haven't said it here in a while--he's the BEST step-dad my kid could have.)
* My road-trippin' companion... (he would call himself my chauffeur.)
* Indulger of my quirks and idiosyncrasies.
* Never having to date again.
And more, so much more...

Are all these things available to those without the piece of paper? Yes. But there's just something about that particular piece of paper. (For me. Don't go all rushing out and getting married on my account. I'm not into your business!)

What is your favorite thing about marriage? (If it's the fact that you're not in one, that's OK too.)

What's this A-Z business about? Check out my kick-off post. And stay tuned for the random joy and nonsense I concoct during the month of April!

A-Z blogging challenge: H is for Humanity

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” -Mother Teresa

Every day, humans slay me. In both the positive and the negative ways slay conveys.

I think about all the pain that is inflicted--human to human--to the small, the old, the weak, the innocent. How much pain we bring into our own lives by being petty and small, callous and stupid. I think about how our Creator must sigh big, big sighs (at the very least) when he looks down on us being all of the above. And it breaks my heart.

(I heard a statistic today about child abuse in the United States, that more children have been killed in the past decade--in their own homes, by a family member--than U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. How is that possible? It is so hard to think about, that approximately seven children die every day as a result of child abuse and neglect, that I think we so often just don't think about it. Turn some other noise on, just drown out THAT fact.)

“I love mankind, he said, "but I find to my amazement that the more I love mankind as a whole, the less I love man in particular.” -Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

And then, there's the flip side. There is love. So much love. Compassion and selflessness shown to others, sometimes to a stranger--unconditional, deep, with no thought of reward or return. In times of hardship, but also in very, very ordinary times as well. How often is compassion like that seen in the face of humans? Every day. And it fills my heart.

Broken but filled.

Filled but broken.

It's what makes us humans, together.

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” -Mahatma Gandhi

What's this A-Z business about? Check out my kick-off post. And stay tuned for the random joy and nonsense I concoct during the month of April!

Anniversary lovin'

here is an extra-lovely aspect to having been married at Thanksgiving: only on a very few years does the anniversary actually land again on Thanksgiving Day. So, the love stretches out, then, in either direction, as one can't help but think on the love while feasting with family, and again on the specific date (for us it's today, Nov. 24).

Dear husband's sweet roses came home with him from quick errands yesterday. Pink roses make me smile.

On our first anniversary, I gave husband this little framed calligraphy I did of our vows. The vows were longer than just this little phrase, but the words above were gleaned from a poem we found by a Frau Ava of Gottweig, and were my favorite part of the ceremony:

I am yours.
You are mine.
Of this we are certain.
You are lodged in my heart.
The small key is lost.
You must stay there forever.
-Frau Ava (circa 1160), translated by Willis Barnstone

Happy couple, seven years ago today!

More anniversary flowers, from Ma and Pa.

glassbabies were on our tables at the wedding in 2005, and grace our Thanksgiving table each year.

This morning Seth proved his teen mettle by sleeping in until past noon, and husband and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast together and reading by the fire. The weather outside is not compelling us to leave our quiet spot, as the gray stretches out in all directions. It rained thoroughly all night, it seemed, so the sog is upon us, and with the lights of the Christmas tree and our trusty Chief alongside the sofas, it's a pretty blissful state we find ourselves in.

Seven years isn't a significant milestone (other than that silly itch thing), but every year means a great deal to us, having come to this love a little later in life. There's a joy in knowing that we found each other, that we recognized a good thing and embraced it, and that we continue to value each other and our love above all else.

Here's to another seven, dear husband, and another, and another...

Friday night grateful moment

ot.

We're hot.

Seventh level of hades hot.

Okay, that might be slight exaggeration. It's certainly warm, and I think half of the feeling like we're melting like the Wicked Witch is that we're in a peaceful place surrounded by water, not usually associated with such warmth. This is the place where I usually ask to borrow a sweater, since I forgot layers are mandatory on this side of the Cascades. Or long pants, or shoes with socks, or an extra blanket for the bed... You get my drift. If it weren't deemed unacceptable (I'm just guessing here, but it seems reasonable to assume) and frankly rather uncomfortable, we'd probably all be wandering around nekkid. But no, we're sipping ice water and waiting for a breeze to waft by and the sun to shift behind the trees...

But we're grateful, even as we sweat. Maybe especially grateful...

For air conditioning (at home). I am always grateful for that convenience. I am not big of the frozen popsicle that a lot of places (I was in a freezing Starbucks the other day. FREEZING.) like to turn into during the warm months, but a little cool to sleep in is a very lovely thing.

For this idyllic setting for a brief getaway. Can you see the heat waves rising in front of the camera? Instagram needs a filter for that...

For Chief, our international traveler. I am SO grateful that this trip has gone easily for him. He's been largely relaxed and happy (probably lulled into lethargy from the heat, but I'll take it.)

For cool soups that make hot evenings a bit more palatable...

I'm so grateful for my parents' marriage: 46 years and going strong. It's a wonderful thing.

For the garden that gives and gives, and gives some more.

For ALL the summer eating we've been doing lately, from squash to corn to kale to tomatoes, finally with the tomatoes!

For afternoon naps (or are they afternoon comas?).

For the breezes, when they do waft through the house. And for shade.

For our TinTin boy, isn't he sweet?

For Mexican Train dominoes games, and Wii bowling tournaments...
all the fun things that we only do on vacation. 

For walks, and talks, and little trips to the market. Time together with family.

For unusual wildlife... well, unusual for us! I was out on the deck the first night we arrived, with Chief, and I heard this odd, low growl-hiss. I didn't look or think twice, I just scooted right into the house with Chief and asked my mom what *that* could have been... oh, just the raccoons, she said. A momma and three babies. So of course, we had to go back out and take a closer peek! 

Wishing you a peaceful weekend, filled with things to be grateful for. What's on your grateful list for this week?

Update: I did publish this list Friday night, really. But was an issue with blogspot.ca, and if you aren't subscribed through the RSS feed (which brings up the question, why not? It's a splendid way to get all your bloggy needs met in one place, so to speak), then it didn't publish to the blogger site. That should be fixed now!