Thankful Thursday...

Tonight I'm thankful for -

- Lara Bars, especially Cherry Pie

- frozen York Peppermint Patties

- ice cubes floating in water

- friends who do research to find me relief from a pulled back muscle (it worked; I'm 80% better, Lisa!)

- the sounds of owls, squirrels, and other Carolina critters on hot summer nights

- white wine sangria with paella, followed by crema catalina

- Snicker bars tied with ribbons

- sitting in Barnes and Noble, talking, laughing, and reading with my daughter

- watching "Eat, Pray, Love" again

- Javier Bardem

- zucchini and tomatoes - picked from the neighbor's garden - sauteed with garlic and olive oil

- the wonder of turtles 

- an unexpected phone call today from my favorite pastor/preacher of all time - I miss you, Katie!

- Andrea Bocelli's Il Mistero Dell'Amore - The Mystery of Love

- stretching out on the floor of my study and remembering

- sending love and light across the miles and then letting go - again and again

- downloading photos from my phone and my camera, seeing evidence of a life well lived, a life well loved

- rediscovering photos taken in Spain in May of 2005, photos of my children and my favorite Jesuit priest

- how ridiculously happy I was to find gas at $2.92 per gallon a couple of weeks ago. South Carolina does have its benefits after all...

- making journals by hand

- filling journals by hand

- Prismacolor markers leaving their mark on thick watercolor journal pages

- the miracle of how regularly the sunset follows the sunrise

- shelves full of journals

- journals full of stories

- stories that remind me of the places I have lived, the people I have met, the love I have known

- how doggone nostalgic I get at this time of year 

- the tears that flow as I read, write, watch, listen, remember, and offer up gratitude
for all that has been,
all that is,
and all that is yet to come