One Thousand Gifts-Week 44

I sort through the flotsam of the day, sifting the hours through the light of gratitude, searching for the treasures, the gifts that are always right there, waiting for me to see them. They don’t look like much to anyone else I suppose, yet I know their worth. They are gifts, perhaps roughly presented and surrounded by the mundane, yet they shine all the same when I hold them up to the light, and I see again how abundantly I have been blessed.

• The Boy crept into my room in the early morning and crept out again. When I rolled over to see I found an apple laying next to me, to eat before getting up, to help with morning sickness. Father and son conspired together in the early hours to take care of me once daddy left.
• One morning Little woke while Aaron was still home and I woke to her shrill voice piping with glee, “Mommy, daddy still home! Daddy is here!”
• The Girl running to open the door and look out every 5 minutes to see if daddy is home yet.
• The Boy making me breakfast, and tea, while I cope with nausea.
• This  pregnancy has actually been shockingly easy compared to the last three. I’m so thankful.
• Aaron settled an argument over who got to sit next to him at the dinner table, there can only be 2 at a time after all, by offering the Girl a chance to cut his hair after dinner with the clippers instead. She was thrilled, and so proud to get to cut her daddy’s hair.
• Sunday morning I went back into the bedroom to find that Little had crept into bed next to Aaron and they were both snuggled together, sound asleep.
• The kind of friend that can just visit you and hang out in my kitchen with me while I do life.
• Watching Aaron work on a project that is really exciting for him and is bringing together all the ideas he has been working on for the past decade we’ve been together and it’s all lining up and making sense at last.
• Late afternoon rays on ridge after ridge of green hills rolling off into the horizon.
• Authentic Mexican tacos from a taco stand.
• Playing Dutch blitz until midnight, Hannah destroying us all every single round. Hearing the game from bed and the laughing as they keep playing for another two hours. No one even comes close to catching up to her.
• Bruce Cockburn songs.
• The way the Boy chooses to wear a suit to church, because he likes it.
• A little boy in Sunday school who has a lot of behavior challenges had a really good day today, in part thanks to another teacher’s innovative idea to help him to be ready for transitions. It was great to see him do so well when it’s often so hard for him.
• Nostalgic conversations with Aaron about really great moments in our relationship.
• The rhythm of our life together in this season.

The gratitude community is here.