***
Outside My Window ...
I am grateful to know that next spring, we can Lasagna Garden all over again. The front beds were sorely neglected when the seasons changed. The pansies never got planted. New bulbs never went in. And weeds have staked their claim. But I have plans for some bright annuals in the spring and the roses...the roses still bloom despite the unseasonal cold. In the spring, more compost and many more roses. I'm thankful for gardening catalogs to read in the bathtub during the winter.
***
I am listening to... Sarah's quiet breathing. And I am so grateful to have her here, strapped tightly against my chest, breathing on her own, warm and content to be home .
***
Towards rhythm and beauty ...
I
am grateful for the rhythm of the liturgical year, for the new year that begins this weekend. I'm ready for a new beginning, ready to embrace the waiting and watching for the Holy Infant. I'm not so ready for the feasts and the crafts, but I trust that the Blessed Mother knows my heart and she will show me how to keep advent holy in my home this year.
***
I am thankful for ...life itself.Really. And I am thankful for the opportunity to
look at life through focused lenses and determine anew to live it for Him. The day that Sarah was born, I was asked by several medical people several times exactly what my wishes were should the emergency escalate. And again and again I told them I wanted to be well enough to care for my family. It still amazes me how well I functioned physically in the days Sarah was in the NICU. God heard me every time I reiterated my "wishes" and He knew they were prayers. And I am grateful for the clarity of knowing that this is His will for me, too.
***
From the kitchen ...
I am grateful for a freezer stocked with meat, for a pantry full of staples (and for my friend Barbara who cleaned and organized that pantry after the pantry moths had a party when I was on bedrest). I am grateful for all the people who fed my family when I couldn't. I am grateful for the inspiration of those cookbooks that are calling to me and beckoning now--it's time to be Queen of the Kitchen again. And I'm grateful for Food Network:-).
***
To live the liturgy...
I had a baby on the vigil of All Saint's Day. Time stood still. And now, Mother Church rouses me and bids me to begin anew. She calls me to look East, to make my house fair. She promises me that Love, the Guest is on His way.
***
I am wearing ...
my
bathrobe. Again. Later, I will change into a black knit skirt and a button down shirt. I am grateful for my post-partum wardrobe. Knit skirt, button down shirt, flat black boots. The thing about a knit skirt is that it doesn't taunt you the way the waistband and zipper of jeans taunt. It just pulls on and promises to look better and better as time goes on. I have four black knit skirts. They are old as the hills. I'm grateful for every one of them.
***
I am creating ...
a Christmas letter, to send out early --with my birth announcements which are now late. I'm grateful for the friends far and wide who will share our joy this year and whose cards and letters will cheer us in the coming month.
***
Towards a real education ...
I am grateful for the women who create lessons and share them on Serendipity. These are sisters of the heart. Truly, I count them among my dearest friends and certainly they are among God's greatest gifts to our family.
***
Bringing beauty to my home ...
I am grateful that Michael will be home this weekend and he will answer my every little puttering request as we decorate for Christmas. Three big boys will do my bidding and indulge my every decorating whim. And they will like it.
***
I am reading ...Simple Gifts.What a treasure! Nissa sent me a copy to read on my babymoon. This is utterly beautiful. I mean that both visually and in terms of content. And I admit to printing the e-version just so I could hold its loveliness. Do indulge yourself. I'm thankful I did.
***
I am hoping ...
that I never forget how grateful I am for the lessons learned this year.
***
Around the house ... I am grateful for a new sense of appreciation for the process of keeping house. It's amazing how much I am enjoying putting things in order. I vacuumed for the first time since July the other day. How fun to suck up all those little
things that make the house untidy. I'm quite sure I was as gleeful as a toddler at discovering this machine. Perhaps the novelty will wear off, but for now it's fun to play house again. And I'm very thankful for the house itself.
***
One of my favorite things ...
Marriage. I am so thankful for the man, for the sacrament, for the growth, for the gift.
***
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
I hesitate to put this in writing, lest someone suggest I am insane but...if Michael's team wins tonight and the draw is such that most of those boys can't go home for Thanskgiving, I think we might just have a bunch of boys to eat turkey. We'd have to keep Sarah upstairs because she can't be in a crowd, but that's okay, Christian would be happy to have an excuse to escape the crush;-).
***
Here is a picture thought I am sharing~
Big boys, little girls. Can't quite get enough of that.
