Thankful Thursday

I am thankful, first and foremost, that I am alive and well and still loving my life (most of the time).
I am thankful for the beauty of these spring days.
I am thankful for the irises that are in bloom. We transplanted the ones in our front yard from our yard in Connecticut when we moved down here back in 2002. They still bloom beautifully every spring.

I am grateful for a full refrigerator and freezer, for working appliances, and for a house that has withstood so many storms and protected us and our stuff for so many years.

I am grateful for the English professor at Williams who assigned journal writing as part of our class grade. That was the start of my regular journaling practice - way back in 1986. I've got a lot of notebooks filled with my ramblings. It is so much fun to choose one at random and read what I was thinking at any given time over the years. 

I am thankful that my son and I saw a HUGE turtle yesterday. I wish we had stopped to take photos, because that thing had to be 15 inches across. Some other people had stopped to take pictures, but foolishly we did not. I hope to see it again sometime soon. Next time, I will definitely stop.
I am thankful that my son and I have such good times together as we homeschool. We are reading through a children's version of The Odyssey and having great discussions about the chapters I read aloud to him every day.
I am thankful that he contentedly goes with me to Loaves and Fishes twice a month to serve people in need. He actually looks forward to it almost as much as I do.
I am thankful that he still likes hanging out with me.
I am thankful that he often agrees to making his awesome nachos for me.

I am thankful that my daughter is just a few days away from finishing her junior year in college and her first semester living in a dorm. She is still the bravest person I know.
I am thankful that she is looking forward to being at home this summer, resting and recovering from this challenging adventure called college life.
I am thankful (in advance) for the meals she will cook and the times she will empty the dishwasher and walk the dog and go with me to the supermarket.

I am grateful for the simple and indulgent pleasure of getting a mini-facial at the Origins store at the mall, picking up a couple of products I needed, and getting four travel sized products for future adventures. Technically, I was only supposed to get three freebies, but she said that I was such a pleasant customer that she decided to give me an extra one. Thank you, my dear.
I am grateful for the 90 minutes of browsing and people watching while waiting for my son, who was hanging out with a friend.

I am also grateful for -
- ice water in tall glasses
- the super sweet organic strawberries on my salad tonight (Thanks to Carol for the idea)
- the company of my cute little doggie, especially when the guys are away on tennis weekends
- the ability to resist the urge to buy things I didn't need from the mall
- the times when I treat myself to fun little goodies
- my new slippers. My old ones were so old and dirty and threadbare that my husband had started to look for some on my behalf. Just by way of perspective - the same man who didn't even blink when I told him I was going to have a bilateral mastectomy without reconstruction drew the line at me continuing to wear those slippers. I found my new ones at Marshall's for a fantastic price. He's a very happy man. (Apparently, we are both rather easy to please.)

I am thankful for the many friends who reach out to me on a regular basis.

- The one who lives in Kentucky with her sweet and loving man and is a sister to my soul.

- The one in Connecticut who took a full time job so we can't talk everyday anymore, but I still have full-blown conversations with her... in my head.

- The many dear ones in New York and Massachusetts and Connecticut who I hope to see in June when I'm up there for my niece's wedding.

- The three friends I met in a memoir writing class in 1998 and that formed the writing group that still exists to this day. We don't see each other regularly anymore, but we do maintain regular contact. Leaving them behind was one of the biggest losses when I moved down to North Carolina.

- The one who lives on the lake and in my heart.

- The one who, along with her husband, is pondering whether or not to make a cross-country move soon. I will miss her if she goes, but I know she and her family will be happy no matter where they end up.

- The one I had tea with yesterday and who I hope will become a dear friend.

- The ones in Spain who welcome me into their home and have always made me feel like I was a part of their family.

- The ones who listen to my stories and don't turn away in horror when I cry. I am such a crier.

- The superheroines I have met online, who write and make jewelry and teach and show kindness and teach body compassion and talk about the people they love and the struggles they face and who have loved me so faithfully even though some of us have never met in person.

- I am grateful for the small and ever-present reminders of people I have known and loved in my lifetime - songs that were special over the years, photos of places I've visited with people, foods and drinks I had with loved ones, emails, texts, journal entries, gifts I've given and received, photographs, ticket stubs, sea shells, candles, artwork, pens that have been given to me, the scarf I bought for myself at the same time that I bought a scarf for someone else, the crosses hanging on my walls, the journals people have given to me, books I've been sent. There is love and beauty and generosity and kindness on display everywhere I look as I write this and as I think of all the things and people and moments I am grateful for. 

I will end this list where I began it - I am profoundly grateful to be alive and well,
strong and confused,
imperfect and at peace,
hopeful and doubtful,
an absolute mess and absolutely certain that all shall be well.

Thanks be to God.