happy...

My children are in bed. I sit here typing a few words as I wait for my husband to get off of work. I smile as I type. Though it has been a long day, I have many blessings to offer up thanks for. A loving husband who spent the hours before working doing laundry and preparing a dinner he would not be home to eat.

A note greeted my arrival explaining only towels were left to dry. I smiled gratefully, the mountain of clothes had disappeared. Lasagna was cooking and the children's favorite bread and spreadable cheese waited to be served. Even salad and a veggie were prepared. I smiled and gathered everyone together for the gifts left for us to enjoy.

Later... after cake (yes, he did leave cake)... I pondered what I could do to help. I fixed loose locks, hung light blocking curtains for the girls after a long search for the missing curtain rod. (I credit divine intervention... I just couldn't figure out where I'd laid the crazy thing.) I put the towels away, cleaned the bathroom and framed a wedding photo. I weeded a fence line and planted two grapevines, zinnias and peas... (Yup, I do know it is too early for the zinnias... I have enough seeds to replant if they freeze.) =-)

I smile thinking about the day off that three out of five family members share tomorrow. A portfolio evening for our younger daughter and getting up at 5:45 instead of 5:30.

I cherish the time to be with my husband and our older daughter...

This day and always, I give thanks to our Lord, to the One who gave us life... the only source of goodness... joy... peace...

I pray you are well.

I asked that you are blessed.

The world... it's not all about me...

As much as I might wish it,

for some reason,

it seems...

that the world is...

gasp...

not,

all about me.

Lights don't magically turn green,

want I want is not always what I can have...

sigh...

It's not all about me.

While my mind knows that this is a good thing,

my impatient emotions do not always agree.

To be content,

to count my blessings...

to be happy with what is possible...

to work and wait for what is worthy of my attention...

That is what November means to me...

Thankfulness...

I'm working on it...

Glittering bits of joy...

• Sandstone rocks... glittering in the sun...
• Hallmark cards that sing or sparkle
• Mashed potatoes
• Someone else cooking... even PB&J
• Tim Horton's coffee... let's just face it... coffee in general...
• Family and Friends who care
• Adventures in the great outdoors
• Jewel covered jeans that make grownup girls smile

Happy things...

Cathy and Brian

Yesterday evening,
cupcakes arrived at my door along with brownies and other goodies.

Gifts...
from a very good friend.

My children will eat on them for days.

For dinner,
I fixed Zesty Cheeseseroni,
a recipe based on one given to me
by a very good cook
who I am blessed to know.

Both the cupcakes and the Zesty Cheeseroni were a "hit" with my kiddos.

There was even some to share with my sister when she came to pick up her son.

May your day,
your night,
your "forever"...
be blessed with friends of all kinds.

Perhaps,
if you're especially lucky,
ones like my friends Cathy and Brian.

More Please!

I want more...

• chances to roll down hills
• paths to climb with friends
• dinners shared with the best company

I want to...

• sit around a campfire in contentment
• see a turtle in the wild
• always keep a smile in my heart

I am grateful for...

• My family
• My friends
• The life I have been given
• The opportunities that I will discover on my walk

How about you? How do you feel this Tuesday? If you already feel a, "long week" coming on... If you are daydreaming about the weekend already... Then you and I have something in common. =-)

Make your own list and join me in looking forward to the possibilities

beauty all around us

The night before Kindergarten

With my Red Communication Folders stacked,

activites gathered

and my alarm set for before sunrise,

I am headed to bed.

Two of my own children start school tomorrow as well.

Lunches,

supplies,

clothes to get ready...

Hang on,

the merry-go-round is about to twirl!

With a bit of a tremble

and a smile in my heart,

I'll jump into the new year.

May the coming season,

the new days before us,

bring new experiences

as well as a wonderful sense of comfort

when the traditions of years past are relived!

Now and always,

May you be blessed!

Kindergarten happiness

Before I went to collect my students from the "Little Kid" school,
I took a bin of letters and took a stroll.
Tossing plastic bits of education willy nilly,
I grinned.
From their side of the playground,
the small dears peeked my way...
What was "Ms. Susan" up to?
Later...
a hike was taken...
a game was played...
skills were practiced...
What a happy thing it is to play and learn at the same time.
I thank God for my blessings...
For my family,
for a home to live in,
transportation...
and for that bit of paper...
earned and cherished...
my teaching license.

Tonight and always...
I thank God for you as well.
May you be blessed!

Sending a smile to a friend...

Earlier this evening

I snapped this picture

and sent it to a friend just for fun.

Chuckling,

I grinned at my camera.

My weekend was full...

A trip to the park,

lesson plans,

church,

errands,

a birthday celebration,

cleaning

and my favorite part...

conversation.

It is such a blessing

to laugh together...

to share who we are...

What a gift.

What a blessing...

Even typing to you,

it is a kind of communication,

a way of thinking things over.

Now and always,

may your life be blessed with someone to talk to...

someone to listen...

someone to laugh over that crazy story from your misspent youth...

I wish you happiness...

peace...

joy...

blessings..

Swamp?

This spring when my children and I went to Dawes Arboretum in Newark, we wandered through the breathtakingly beautiful park.

We took the Oak trail
and as we walked
we appreciated the signs of the world awakening
from its winter slumber.

In the forest,
the carpet of lush vegetation
made me dream of the coming warmth.

At the end of our hike,
we reverently walked the boardwalk
through the Cyprus swamp.

Today one of my dearest friends and
I traveled the same path.

To my great astonishment,
the water was gone.

My idle curiosity as to the depth of the murky water
teeming with tadpoles was at long last solved.

In its place,
new questions...

Is it normal for the swamp to dry up?
Where did all those bitty frogs go?

Life is always an adventure.
Everything we learn leads to more questions.

Each day is gift,
a chance to enjoy the wonder of the world.

Some days we face hard questions...
the sad "whys" of the word...

Other moments we may feel outraged at the "why" questions...

But, always we are alive when we ask for answers...
seeking and walking the path before us.

I think most of you,
like me,
have experienced the range of emotions I speak of.

Tonight,
I give thanks that I can feel.

If I have to know what it means to feel sadness,
so that I can appreciate blessings...

If I must walk through valleys to make it to the top of the mountains...

Let me then learn a few of the answers along the way...

Even if they only concern swamps and tadpoles.
I will be blessed.
I pray that we learn from the good,
the bad
and the sad
we meet in life.
... And that,
in the end,
we walk on with peace in our hearts
and the knowledge
that we are loved by the One who holds all truth.
Today and always,
I wish you what you need...
and then...
the extra measure of grace
to bring a smile to your face.

Kindness

Just a moment ago,
I got a message
from someone who enjoys my blog.
It made me pause
and contemplate once again
how I feel about all of you.
I have a "statcounter" that lets me know
how many people visit my site
and the city and country they are from.
Because of this,
I know when a wonderful blogger
from Canada reads my site
and when a dear college friend
catches up on my mischief.
However,
most of the stats,
I am unable to put a face to.
Despite the fact
that I do not know most of your names,
I feel a deep kinship with you.
You see,
I know that like me,
you are walking this road we call, "life".
And I'm counting on the fact
that you are puzzled at times,
just as I am.
I am glad you are here
as I try to make sense of it all.
Your very presence
helps me try to remember what I know is true
and to let go of the "nonsense"
that just feels true in the moments of crisis,
temptation
or loneliness.

So tonight,
I just want to thank you.
You are a sincere blessing to me.
May your tonight,
your tomorrow,
your always...
be a blessed and beautiful adventure.

Night has fallen

Another day is done.
Memories happily inked in our minds.
Busy... Busy...
Scurry... Hurry...
Now it's quiet
and I sit thinking.
Small people still milling about
soon they'll be in their nests...

Then here I am,
pondering the world.
Grateful for my blessings...
yet sometimes melancholy.

Letting go...
trusting God...
It's not easy.

But,
like my flowers...
that made the journey to their new home...
Now remade into something different
and so very beautiful.

I stand,
trying to wait.
Working on blooming where I am planted.
So blessed,
probably a bit spoiled.
Like a child asking when they will arrive...
I need to remind myself to enjoy the journey,
choose good companions
and trust the One
who made me,
who will make me into someone beautiful.
Filled with lasting happiness
and peace to share with all those around.
Tonight,
sigh along with me...
Count your blessings...
And know,
I count you among mine.
Thank you for sharing this time with me.

With a smile in my heart...

As I sit here and type,
my dog has settled on the floor beside me.

For so many years I did not understand the love between pets and their owners.

now I do...

Just a word from me and his tail wags.

One motion of invitation
and my pooch is in my lap begging for all the attention I'll share.

Such devotion is hard not to enjoy.

Yet, it goes beyond that.

Companionship that cannot comment,
only listen.

I have noticed that whenever I am feeling sad,
my puppy sticks to me like glue.

When I'm feeling playful,
he brings his ball
and chases his sister and I up and down the stairs.

Tonight,
I am counting my blessings again.

It is Monday and so lovely outside that,
I simply do not want to do everything I have to do.

So, I am counting my "must do's".

It's sappy...
but it is working...
a little...

Loading the dishwasher...
I am glad for food.

Doing school prep...
I am glad to have a job I love to provide for my family.

... sigh...
I'd tell you I was grateful for laundry...
but,
lightening would probably strike me dead!

Ha!
Oh, well...
Whoever said that we must be happy with everything in life in order to be at peace,
was certainly feeding us all a load of baloney
... and not the yummy kind fried into a sandwich!

May you be blessed this lovely evening...
...escape the work that isn't really necessary
and do what you must.

May the sights of the season warm your heart
and soul and may you have peace in your heart.

I'd wish your laundry pile would magically wash and fold itself too,
but...
I've misplaced my magic wand.
=-)

How was your day.... otherwise?

I think that often in life we can either cry or laugh. Sometimes the trauma is just too great and the choice of our expression is taken from us.

Other times, it is sometimes more cathartic to roll our eyes heavenward, shake our head and save the tears until later.

Today was one of those days for me.

A normal busy day...

I was tired on the way home as I counted the change out for a cup of coffee.

I turned on my easy listening radio station

and took the first sip of my chocolate cream infused coffee.

As I turned up the dial on my radio and began to sing loudly, I grinned.

I absolutely love happy music. It is a wonderful lift at the end of a pleasant but tiring day.

As I headed up the road toward home,

my cell rang.

I missed the call and when I glanced at the number it wasn't one I immediately recognized.

In was about 4:20.

I stopped to pick up my youngest from my parents' house and headed toward home,

expecting to be greeted by my son and his aide.

I wasn't.

The house was dark and I could tell they hadn't been there all day.

Knowing they were on an outing this morning

but were due to be back by noon,

I was concerned.

I started dialing...

Eventually,

I found out most of what happened.

My son made it home.

I even made it to my staff meeting and back.

I called my sis to ask for help with tomorrow's babysitting situation and thanked God yet again for family.

The picture at the top of my post

made me think of how often it is only by looking up...

by counting my blessings...

that I am able to keep walking...

keep smiling...

Life is such a blessing.

Such a gift...

It is not always easy to remember.

I pray that it the midst of life's chaos,

you find an oasis.

A refuge.

Peace.

May your life be filled with beauty...

and humor to carry you through the rough spots.

May you be blessed.

Tonight...

Tomorrow...

Forever!

Happy Things

As the sun heads near the horizon, I sit here thinking about my world.

I have to let out a little sigh because I'm tired.

I'm am sure many of you can identify with this feeling at least occasionally.

It is easy to get discouraged when I am weary.

I find myself thinking that I better count my blessings and daydream about the lovely things in life.

To this end, I browsed my computer files looking at my favorite photos and I ran across one of my garden a few years back.

I took the picture one late July or Early August day when my garden was at it's height of glory.

There were about twelve or thirteen different types of sunflowers that year and the happy mixture of annuals and perennials was just perfect in my book.

Not all my years have been that successful. Like life, some times I haven't been able to make the vision in my head translate into reality.

Thankfully, just as everyday is a new beginning, every season is a fresh start.

I like to think of my perennials like the memories I carry with me.

Though they are ever present in my garden, it is my choice if they are an asset or a liability.

When well tended, they are the backdrop for my lovely annuals.

However, if I let them run astray, they can leave little room for new planting experiments.

This year, this season...

I will examine my life.

I will count my blessings.

I will embrace each day for what it is,

a new beginning.

Perhaps you're in need of a fresh start as well.

Claim this day as your own.

I wish only good things for you.

May the "garden" of your life be filled with lovely people and experiences.

May you be blessed!

Keeping it all in perspective

As I wandered up and down the isles at the market today, I happily but cautiously put things in my cart. I am waiting for a new bank card and so for a few more days, I am a "cash only" girl.

I lined my items up in my cart and kept a running tally. I shook my head in disbelief at how quickly the numbers were adding up. As I neared the veggies, fruits and meat I sighed, though I love this section of the store, it tends to eat up my budget.

Into my cart went bags of salad, tiny cherry tomatoes, grapes, apples and even a cucumber for my son. At the meat counter, I splurged on a roast for the crock pot knowing that my children would be very pleased despite the outrageous price.

Very soon my cart was full.

As I headed to the front,

I ran the numbers in my head again and knew I was "safe".

Shopping with cash or on a tight budget forces hard choices.

Before anything goes into my cart I must ask myself...

"What do I need?"

"Can I use something else already at home?"

"What meals will satisfy my family and not break the bank?"

Today, as I handed over one hundred and thirty dollars for my choices, I tried to focus on the positive.

At least I had the money to spend.
Though I am not wealthy, my kids eat well and are never hungry. How many parents all over the world worry about their children's meals?

I work hard for my paycheck and yet, it seems to be gone nearly as soon as it comes.

I'm betting many of you can identify with my feelings on this matter. Sometimes I get very frustrated over this very fact of life.

However, tonight as I gleefully eat some spinach salad with tiny tomatoes,

I will try to remember to count my blessings instead of feeling glum.

My wish for you today is not for great wealth or fame.

(Though those things would be nice.)

Instead I hope that you will have always have enough to eat...

and hopefully something extra as well...

...be it teeny tiny tomatoes or a roast for your dinner.

May you be happy and satisfied!