Nineteen Days of Gratitude

On this marvelous Monday, I am giving thanks for:

1. Marriage Equality in Washington State.
2. Being able to spend a full day in my church office after three weeks of scurrying to hospitals and being sick. Great to get a lot done.
3. Remembering to call Sandra back as I had committed about her journal issue.
4. Reconnecting with my dear friend Edie from Grand Rapids.
5. Mike buying me lunch today at Pei Wei and sharing the plans he has for attending his son's graduation from Marine basic training.
6. Making a meatloaf this morning which made making dinner a snap.
7. Fresh, steamed broccoli.
8. Whole wheat dressing.
9. The Josh Groban song, You Raise Me Up.
10. Getting caught up with publishing this Gratitude Blog.

Day 18 Along this Grateful Way

On this Sabbath day, I am grateful for:

1. Only waking up once in the night to pee.
2. Waking up early and getting my talking points for today's workshop finalized without hurrying.
3. Regina's smiling face and being able to get eggs and sausage at church.
4. Seeing Craig & David at church.
5. The generosity of our congregation regarding Shelter Week.
6. Being able to lead off the workshop with my segment today.
7. Having the opportunity to work with Kimberli Boyd today.
8. Eight new book study small groups forming around Super Brain.
9. A quiet evening at home without running to Oxford or making dinner.
10. Leftover roast beef and mashed potatoes for supper.
11. Barbara's loving my 2012 book lovers quotation.

Seventeen Days of Thanks for Living

Today, I am grateful for:

1. No line at the Post Office when I took Matt to mail his package.
2. Getting mom's medications list, and visiting nurse information organized in a binder.
3. Fresh hot Turkey sandwiches at Costco for lunch
4. Getting mom some Zyrtec which seemed to help her itching.
5. Being able to give my sister a break.
6. Mom's willingness to try eliminating Cymbalta for a while to see if that is the cause of her itching.
7. Getting home at a decent hour with some time to unwind before bed.
8. Getting a score of 2.6 million in Zuma Blitz.
9. The first night of Hanukkah and the ah ha that came as I pondered the miracle of the oil lamp. When our intentions are pure and in alignment with God's will (dedicating the temple) , we offer what we have (a single day's oil) and God makes it more - oil for 8 days.
10. The smell and feel of clean bed linens and comforter.

Sixteen Grateful Days!

Today, I give thanks for:

1. A wonderful Second Annual Faith Inclusion Breakfast meeting of The Michigan Roundtable for Diversity & Inclusion
2. Sitting with the keynote speaker at this event, Ross Murray, from GLAAD. He is a very interesting man.
3. That the church encourages me to host such events.
4. Being on time at the early hour of 7:30.
5. A whole new view of the Metro Detroit commuter thing being on the roads at 7 this morning.
6. Finally having Thanksgiving Dinner (turkey with mashed taters, stuffing etc.) Matt and I had a late lunch at Bob Evans, yummy!
7. Clear directions from the boss about this weekends workshop.
8. Chatting with Nancy Horowitz about her experiences as an activist in the 70's in New York City.
9.  Recommending Zan and Deb to Kevin Logan as caterers and the awesome job they did with the breakfast.
10. Getting to bed early.

Day 15 on this journey in Gratitude

On this Thursday, I give thanks for:

1. An alarm clock I can set by pushing buttons instead of going through all the way around the hours.
2. Hot running water in the house.
3. The way water runs completely over me in the shower.
4. Returning strength and vitality which allowed me to work the all day.
5. Reconnecting with Debra Kritzman Fielder after so many years. She and her husband Perry, were featured in a St. Vincent de Paul telethon spot which let me know she was back in Michigan. A quick Facebook search discovered that she had recently created an account.
6. Facebook which connects so so many incredible people.
7. Watching an interesting documentary on Norse mythology and particularly on Thor. This is Thor's Day - Thursday.
8. A very cool oblong covered dutch kettle that mom has acquired from someplace that I have used to cook several meals.
9. Catching the gleam in my sister's entire being as she has remodeled her house room by room. She inspires me in that she keeps on going in spite of bumps is the road.
10. A very pleasant evening and meal shared with Mom, Mike and Matt.

Thanks for a Fortnight of Gratitude

On this fourteenth day in this journey, I am grateful for:

1. Vernors ginger ale (especially when I am sick).
2. Health insurance.
3. The clarity that comes when I release what I think I know and look brand new at a project/challenge/my life.
4. Celtic Christmas music.
5. Being able to return to work today, even if it was only for a short time.
6. The restorative powers of the human body that are manifest through sleep.
7. The deep peace that flows from knowing that all things are working together for good. For me, my family and for all of us.
8. Deep and profound conversations between my mother and I that seem to take advantage of the medical journey that she is facing now.
9. When I picked up mom for her appointment with her kidney specialist today, my brother Darrin was putting mom's Christmas tree up.
10. A sweet dinner shared with Dion & Ashley at Oxford Nugget reminded me of how much I love my wonderful family.

Thirteen Days of Living Thanks

Esther Karvala Ledger

Today, I am thinking about some of the gifts I received from my Grandma Ledger who was born 102 years ago today in Upper Michigan. Grandma, thanks for:

1. An incredible inquisitive spirit.
2. Your unconditional acceptance, you were the first family member beyond mom and dad who knew I was gay.
3. Teaching me how to make your stuffing.
4. Salad Dressing Cake with Coffee Frosting
5. Oatmeal Squares
6. Your patience at having all of your grand kids over to decorate sugar cookies
7. Pasties and meat pies
8. Home made Bismarks
9. Being curiouser and curiouser
10. Many Christmas eves spent with you prepping Christmas dinner.
11. Countless hours spent together in the kitchen.
12. You once told me you wished more people could see God in everything like I did.
13. Interesting stories of your growing up in Iron River, actually Stambaugh and the surrounding areas like Beachwood.
14. Sharing the last few years of your life with me.
15. Your stubborn, iron will which allowed you to live your own way.
16. Helping me take care of Grandpa Miller.
17. Always making me feel special.
18. Your love of the underdog.
19. Never holding it against me when I failed you.
20. Visiting me in Ventura, which meant taking your first plane trip in your 70's
21. So much more lives in my heart ...

12 Days of Living Thanks

Foggy December Day

Gratitude abounds for ...

1. This quiet foggy day stay home, indoors and focus on lavish self care, rest and healing.
2. The way Rosemary and Thyme make the soup steam smell when I add them.
3. My home cooked chicken and rice with vegetables soup.
4. Knowing how to cook.
5. Friends who call and text to see what they can do for me and are cool with my saying, I just need to rest.
6. A wonderful Holidays Episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Certainly got the tears flowing and for a couple of hours, my sinuses open. 
7. I love that I can experience my emotions in the physical form of tears. The last three weeks have been intense emotionally.
8. Grateful that a host has been found for the week that had remained unfilled until a couple of days ago. Now we have churches for each of the weeks this shelter season.
9. The way fabric softener makes clothes feel.
10. Finally getting some sleep last night.
11. The credit union I have been a member of for 21 years.
12. Expanding awareness of Presence, here and now.

11 Days of Thanks Living

This day, I am grateful for:

1. Settling on the idea of Thanks Living for the tag line of these gratitude blogs.
2. A friend who brought chicken soup to church for me.
3. A very sweet voice mail message from my sister.
4. Jim leading the church in sharing a blessing with me for health and healing from the cold I picked up somewhere recently.
5. Learning the difference between chicken stock (made from bones) and chicken broth (made with meat.)
6. Making it through the work day and even having a small part in the first of two Super Brain classes. I love to teach!
7. Having the sense to cancel a social engagement after work yesterday, even though I wanted to attend the concert.
8. Seeing Gail A. after at least 35 years. Looking forward to a deeper conversation as we can.
9. Watching the program Aftermath: Population Zero on NatGeo - very though provoking. It was about planet Earth recovering from our pollution after humans disappeared suddenly.
10. Hot green tea.

Giving Thanks for ten days of giving thanks.

2012 Christmas Volunteer Pot Luck

On this tenth day of noticing the many blessings I experience, I am thankful for:

1. The many wonderful and amazing Renaissance Unity volunteers who give of themselves and invite Spirit to flow into expression through their lives.
2. A short nap in my car while brother Matt grocery shopped.
3. Unseasonably warm weather for the first of December.
4. Remembering the many friends and colleagues that lost their lives to HIV/AIDS
5. Cooking dinner for mom and Mike tonight, she liked the meatloaf!
6. Noticing how happy Dion was to get a break tonight and paint her dining room.
7. Darrin having the opportunity to fuss with mom today.
8. The quiet calm that fills me and whispers, "It will all get done" even though all of my projects are behind my schedule.
9. A call from a dear friend just to check up on me tonight.
10. Airborne, green tea and Ester C are quickly relieving my congestion and scratchy throat.
11. Catching up with daily blogging!