Saturday, October 29, 2011

Gratitude Practice


It's another gorgeous autumn day in Charlotte. Bright sunshine illuminates a few wisps of clouds in the famed Carolina blue sky. Brisk breezes blow newly fallen leaves across the driveway and into the garage. It's easy to find many things to be grateful for on a day like today.

1. an excellent Cardio Craze workout today. Andre Hairston is an awesome workout guide.

2. finding organic canned beans for 99¢ per can at Harris Teeter.

3. fresh brussel stalks (brussel sprouts on the stalk), gala apples, and baby spinach from Trader Joe's

4. ordering our kosher turkey for Thanksgiving   (food is always on my gratitude list!)

5. greeting my husband and children here at home after they suffered through a difficult lunch with a friend of the family that is here visiting for the weekend.

6. college football on television

7. two new dresses from Synergy Organic Clothing. My son picked out a striped dress for me that I would never have chosen for myself, but it is the cutest thing I have worn in at least two years. I ordered it in navy & white and blue & green.

8. Romare Bearden's show at the Mint Museum. I've seen it three times... so far.

That yellow banner was a magnet for me to fill my shelves with bargain books.

9. a pile of books I'm working my way thru. I'm reading four or five right now - which is not a good idea for me. I have enough trouble remembering what each book I read is about. But there are so many good books around me, so much to learn. I'm greedy; I admit it.






10. tomorrow is my daughter's 18th birthday. we started celebrating her life, her courage, and her strength on Thursday. Recently, I saw a segment on an Oprah show in which a mother and daughter pair worked through a problem that the daughter was struggling with. Oprah had a guest on the platform who asked the mother to look at her daughter and say the following: "You are my daughter, in whom I am well pleased." Needless to say, I wept as I wrote those beautiful words into my journal. And yesterday, at a moment when Kristiana and I were alone, I told her: "Kristiana, you are my daughter, in whom I am well pleased." It was a precious moment between us. 

*** Happy birthday, my sweet and brave girl. I love you very much.***

2 comments:

Monee said...

Borders is going out of business?!?!?

GailNHB said...

Yes, Monee. I forgot that you wouldn't realize that, now that you are back in India. Indeed- Border's is gone. Every single store.

During our last visit there, the kids and I picked ten books between the three of all - and all ten books cost $10. So my pile of unread books increased by 6 or 7 that day alone. And that doesn't include the ones I'd chosen in earlier visits to their closing sale - each visit was followed by a promise to myself that I wouldn't buy anymore books for the rest of the year... and each one of those promises was broken. I've gotta pull myself together now, for real this time.

The next time any of you hear me talking about going to a bookstore, please advise me to shop my own bookshelves. I've got plenty here to keep me reading for a mighty long time.