November 12 and 13

Yesterday was full of gratitude and short on the time to write about it.

Grateful for:
-- West Shore Chorale, beautiful voices and beautiful people
-- the fact that I have been lucky to sing with John Drotleff for almost 20 years now
--singing almost in tempo and a lot better in tune.  We may in fact be ready for our concert.
--driving home with Fiona.  She is one of the lights of my week.
--a snowstorm that was much lighter than expected, flakes fluttering down through patchy sun rather than sticking to the roads.  One less awful commute for the winter.
--a coffee date with my husband
-- dinner with my mom
--a Gram who is teaching my son to sew!  I am so happy to watch my kids' relationship with my mom grow and change and blossom as these years go by.


And today! Today I am grateful that it is Wednesday, halfway through the week.  I am grateful for a warm bed with flannel sheets, waiting for my imminent arrival.  I am grateful for my fellow teachers who are so flexible and helpful and accommodating as they work to make middle school a better place for my students. I am grateful for a quiet evening at home, for card games on the carpet and playing pretend; for mycreative daughter pretending to be a snail slithering, laying on her tummy under a laundry basket; for my son, the emerging artist, carefully creating a "pes of art" for mommy to take to work.   I am grateful that he loves his pet rat, and that he doesn't fight about homework.  I am grateful for the pat-pat-pat of Ivy's hands when we snuggle. I am grateful for my cornbag and hot tea, for clean floors and having a dishwasher.  My life is full of convenience and ease and I will not forget to be grateful for that, even in the face of the constant cycle of picking up and cleaning up and then picking up some more.  I am grateful for the opportunity to pick up after these healthy, happy, mess making children.  I am grateful for the opportunity to clean this safe, strong house.  We are collecting change to donate to the Phillipines, supporting the efforts of third graders at Jack's school.  My coins are miniscule token in the face of the tragedy there.  I cannot instantly rebuild their homes and lives, though I would will it to be so if only I could.  But I can hold the people of Manila and Tacloban in my heart and work like crazy to learn from this, that we cannot take our lives and homes and comfort and happiness for granted.  Not for one minute.