Evening GratiTUDES: Part Cinco

Tonight I'm grateful for:

--A night of sleeping with the screen door feeling the cool air....and the entertainment of hearing the (illegal) neighborhood rooster crowing (or attempting!) at 6:46 this morning!

--8am sunlight chasing away the clouds of 6:46 am.

--Glorious cup of morning coffee and half a mini-watermelon for breakfast. Lounging in pjs over a slow morning mixed between chatting with Mom and checking into Internet news.

--Errands with Mom.

--Discovering the nearby local farm has apples....and starting to think about potential apple preserving projects :)

--Pushing myself to 5.6 miles on my run this afternoon....and Roxi even made it without trying to terrorize any other dogs for once!

--Taking care of all the house/yard to-dos without feeling a sense of burden.

--Preparing two salads (black bean--yum! and again with the healthy kale) to take to the family BBQ.

--Purchasing my first bottle of wine in months....and still not drinking it.

--Major getting extra Mom attention.

--Having Mom's quiet, supportive presence in the house.

--Borrowing paint supplies (again!) from my uncle so I can return at least one of my painted rooms to white.

--Moments of laughter, memories, and catching up with the extended family...while chowing down on some pretty good food.

--Offers of time & support from my aunt & uncle.

--Finally feeling comfortable enough in my body again to wear skinny jeans....and getting the opportunity to wear gal D's hand-me-down awesome tunic. Enjoying wearing a different look!

--Being fortunate to have a week of hot-ish weather still, even with the cool mornings & evenings of fall entering in.

--The humor of headlamps, shovels, and plastic bags on evening hunts to finally pick up after the dogs...to be hauled away in tomorrow's trash pick-up.

--An initial appointment with the new potential counselor, who while maybe not the perfect match, I think will be able to help steer me in the right direction...and be willing to pass the torch if needed.

--Granny and her new found love of potato chips :)

--Relaxing, flexible days ahead with a few subtle plans thrown in.

--Returning to see the beauty and joy in everyday things. Feeling a renewed sense of peace, patience, and trust in my soul. Knowing that there is a deep love that exists in there.

--Being able to actually take care of Mom for once; ie making meals, driving her around, providing books of interest, etc.

--Practicing patience daily these days.