Grateful Friday

Today I give thanks for...

Surviving an awful week intact. I've much to say about this, but right now I'm still processing. The one thing I feel certain of, though, is that I stood up for what I believe in. And I feel good that I didn't let the bullies bully me.

Karma. It's a real thing.

My peeps. They have been there for me shoring me up. Lifting me up. Bringing me flowers, wine and movies, sending cards, calling to check in, texting more often.

Another girl's weekend. Mike is up north. Ted has volunteer obligations and plans with friends.

Lessons learned. She fell in love with pull tabs last weekend and Uncle B. Bone generously fed her habit. She lost every last dollar, and then he gave her $20 more and she wisely put it in her pocket.

Teddy strumming away. Singing away too and not just in the shower.

While huddling in the car waiting for the tow truck with my kids, Teddy says, "I like things like this. It keeps life interesting." It made me laugh and reflect on how a car that won't start is not really bad news in the grand scheme of things and I've raised a kid who can see that. 

Then while driving home with Lily, I asked her what the lesson was. She said, "Always turn the stove off and just keep calm." Smart ones my two.

When I left in a hurry, I left a plate full of freshly shredded cheese for mac and cheese on the counter. Peanut LOVES LOVES cheese. I worried that he would help himself and I'd being dealing with a car in disrepair and a cat in intestinal distress. As far as we could tell, he didn't steal a shred. 

I made the first stock of the season and it was the best ever. It became chicken noodle soup at Teddy's request. It's the first time in forever that we ate the whole pot of soup over the week and didn't have to freeze any. I sure hope I can replicate it.  

Lily baked brownies for Teddy's bake sale. We forgot until late Sunday evening. I had just cleaned the kitchen after Mike's yummy birthday dinner and I was exhausted. She offered to bake them and then left the kitchen spotless.

This quote from The House of Mourning by Kate Braestrup

You can trust a human being with grief. That's what I tell the wardens. I tell them, "Just walk fearlessly into the house of mourning, for grief is just love squaring up to its oldest enemy. And after all these mortal human years, love is up to the challenge."