Grateful Friday

Today I give thanks for...

Looking for the light.  Reaching and growing.

I finished The Fault in Our Stars. I found it to be realistic rather than pessimistic because I believe pain is a side affect of living as well as dying.  I loved the literary references throughout.

Sacred mother daughter moments.  I was talking about angels with Miss Bit during our commute the other day.  The conversation was sparked by my audiobook  I was trying to give her the 9 year old synopsis.  In true Lily form, she wasn't satisfied with the milk toast version.  Before she got out of the car, we were both in tears.  Happy tears.  She asked me if I believe in angels.  I shared the story of the night I felt them, and that's when the beautiful tears flowed.

Heart to hearts too.  This week not just about near death experiences and angels, but also being a good friend, and the importance of choosing good friends, and that we do, in fact, have a choice.  Puberty and raging emotions too.  Heavy stuff, and so so important.

My daughter is such a sweet soul and wise beyond her years.

But she's also just 9.  Case in point...she's swinging her heart out on the swing set and belting out tunes in the backyard all by herself as I type.

That voice.  I may be biased, but it's so beautiful.  A parishioner in the pew in front of us kept looking back at her last week during mass.  I noticed.  She noticed.  And I told her what I believe to be true: that she couldn't believe such a beautiful voice could come out of such a young girl.  It was a little bit divine. 

I've been moonlighting as a short order cook now that spring sports are almost in full swing at Casa Wags, and I'm becoming pretty good at it.  Something tells me that this is going to be more the norm than an exception.

Toms.  I bought Miss Bit a pair.  They are worth the $50+ price tag because she wears them everyday and they look a-dorable with everything.

My sous baker.  She decorated this almost all by herself!  It was almost too pretty to eat, but somehow we managed.

Easter hymns.  The music last Sunday moved me to tears.  My favorite was the hymn set to the Pachelbel Canon.

The way T. Bone offers me the top of his head to kiss before bed.  I'd rather a cheek, but I am just gladder than glad he still wants to be tucked in at all.

He has a voice too.  He sings through his shower and is also known to burst into song in the middle of his homework or dinner or really any old time.

Most nights he falls asleep with his light on book in hand, and that's when I steal a smooch on the cheek.

My kids...they think they're so different, but they're also much the same.  They both love Castle, Mine Craft, sausage roni pizzas and their cats.  They're both scared of spiders and split pea soup.  They both dislike cereal with milk and scary movies.  They are both confident and compassionate.  They have the bluest blue eyes.

Remembering when T. Bone was just a little shaver. He's not a very willing photo subject these days.

 

The Muppets.  I recently took Miss Bit and her friends to see the latest Muppet movie.  It was my first, and while I understand it was not one of their best...or better...I laughed a lot and found the whole thing clever, cute and oddly nostalgic.  Now I'm working my way through the backlog.

The steadfast coo of the morning dove...so sad and yet so hopeful.  I find it uncanny that it's often the first bird I hear in the morning and the last at night. 

 

T. Bone has his first baseball game Saturday and his first tennis match next week.

 

I found my address book.

 

Company while I blog. 

 

Last night I couldn't sleep for long enough that I moved downstairs to the family room couch.  This guy curled up at my feet right away and purred so loudly for so long it almost lulled me to sleep.  Forget counting sheep...ultimately, reciting poems I've memorized over the years did the trick.

My ideas journal.  It's where I record my daily mind dump so I can remember all those things I don't want to forget and make room for all the things I have to remember.
 

Raspberry vinaigrette.  Over spinach topped with pear, pecans, red onion and blue cheese.

Orchids.  They love my living room. 
 



 

Shhh...but after a week off, I was happy to go back to work yesterday.

 

And now it's the weekend again.