Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving, dear ones.  Two days into my Thanksgiving Break and I am both exhausted and energized, full to the brim with rich food and love for my family and deep gratitude for the abundance in our lives.  Also a deep gratitude for 3 more days off...

Tonight, a list of thanks, and then a photo-recap of our week.

Grateful today:

For days off, a clean house, the chance to do up a real dinner party for people I love, my healthy children, my dog who makes everyone happy, ridiculously good roasted carrots, cousins, my rabbit, my husband who does all the things and makes me smile all the time...

For all of the people who have come into my life in this last year, in all sorts of ways-- my running friends, Norwex contacts, Choir friends, Community of Hope volunteers. I don't know quite how I'll be able to keep fitting new people and events into my days-- but I don't plan to stop! Grateful too for my extended family, and my friends-who-are-like-family, my Hiram crew, the people who are in my heart everywhere I go...

For the things I get to do, and for the gift of a strong body to do them:  working, even when it is crazy-hard and frustrating; running, even when I don't want to go out the door; singing, two to three days a week!;  laundry and dishes and tidying and all the mundanity of maintaining a home-- I *get to* do these things!

For the times my life has been difficult or insecure-- moving, being the "new kid," surviving middle school as a shy bookworm, difficult relationships, illness and loss in my family... because those times have taught me to persevere, to cope, to find beauty and joy and peace in the midst, and to be even more deeply grateful for the easy times.

For the gifts my parents gave me-- passions for books and music and words and architecture; opportunities to travel and learn and achieve, unconditional acceptance and lots of laughs. I am so grateful for the values I have and the things I love and the way I've learned to think and look at the world.  Forty-three years into this journey, I am finally comfortable in my own skin and really pretty fond of the person I've become-- the person they helped me be.

For the opportunity to be that force in the lives of my own children, for the gift they are in my life, even when I don't understand them, even when they infuriate me, even when their care feels like more work than I bargained for... their beauty takes my breath away and I am daunted by the responsibility of guiding them towards themselves and I don't ever want to take them for granted.

For the blessings of this ordinary life, having enough for my family and enough to share, the absolute gift of taking peace and stability and abundance for granted.

For my beautiful city and my beautiful country and all of the places there are to see and visit and dream of in this world.  For the gift of being alive in this time and opportunities to travel and learn and keep growing into the person I hope to be someday. 

Cold days, warm hearts

We've had ourselves a little blast of winter weather in NE Ohio.  Enough for a 4 inch snowfall that stayed on the ground for almost a week, and temperatures in the 20's that felt pretty darn arctic. Enough snow and cold to get me prematurely in the holiday spirit... a few minutes in the Target dollar spot on one wintry evening had me humming a few bars of Chrismas music, ready to go home and wrap presents...

But its too soon for that!  Thanksgiving, late this year, is still over a week away and we've had a November to enjoy.  Not going to let Cleveland weather stand in the way of our good times/obscenely busy life...

Stop 1:  A party for my favorite set of twins.  We had a blast watching this group of great girls explore at Adrenaline Monkey.  A ropes course to start, some climbing up walls, pizza, cake, and time with my lovely friends.  Can't beat that.

Here's Lillian running at the wall.  It was the highlight of the evening when she made it to the top, on her 3millionth try, to the cheers of an ever  increasing crowd of onlookers.  Girl has grit.

On the way home from the party we made a detour to meet an online friend "IRL"-- one of my Auggie mama friends was in town for a visit from New Jersey and she and her lovely family took time for a visit to the Winking Lizard with us.  I liked her just as much in person as I do online! :)  It was fun to get our "Auggie babies" together... though how is it possible that these young adults were ever babies??

Saturday... why not start the day off with a 5k in 30 degree weather?  At least I did it in great company.  I love this photo of my run group... some regulars who I've become close to, some new friends made that morning.  We were all GREAT friends by the end of a celebratory brunch afterwards...

Meanwhile at home (constantly!), the sounds of a Tech Dek doing tricks and the sights of in-process crafting (of ramps, blocks, boards) alllll over the dining room table.  Jack's latest obsession at least seems to have gotten him off of video games for part of the day!  It's all power tools instead...

Then, off to an afternoon party with friends...

... and an evening date to the theater with my honey.

Sunday:  Why not start the day with a 5k again??  This time it was Ivy's turn, with her culminating race for Girls on the Run.  What a neat event.  SO many 4-5th grade girls, SO much excitement.  Nat and I stationed ourselves out a ways on the course to cheer and I seriously kept tearing up because I could not handle the joy and pride and light in the little faces of these girls I didn't even know, as they heard our cheers and picked up their pace.  You know you're  a mother when...

Ivy and Mrs. Dawson, who is giving her a GREAT 4th grade year!)

Our little non-athlete actually RAN some of the way.  We are grateful to her friend Evey who encouraged her.

Monday:  And now, SNOW!  We got about 4 inches over the course of the day Monday and moments after spotting snowflakes Miss Ivy was ready and raring to go build a snowman.  She just loves playing in the snow.  Our evening went fast, like they do, and it was pretty much full dark by the time we had a moment to go play.  So, out came the flashlight and out went us and this sweet little snowgirl was built in the 20 -degree cold. 

Thursday:  Friendsgiving.  I am volunteering with a wonderful organization this year, Community of Hope. We've been paired with a lovely young lady who has aged out of the foster system, to be a support system for her as she works on her goals.  She's a delight and bonus!  She has this little babe who has totally stolen my heart.  Went to the annual Thanksgiving event with her and the rest of our table and I was duly inspired by being in the room with so many strong, resilient young people and so many other-focused citizens of my community, all here to share time and resources and make the world a better place one table at a time.  And to snuggle babies....!

Saturday again.....  still cold with snow on the ground... but SUNNY!  So we went to the lake.  Or at least near it.  Tried for Christmas pictures, not sure we succeeded.  But we did get windblown and the children climbed and the dog ran and this place is always magic, no matter the weather. 

Stay cozy, dear ones!  Holidays on the horizon!