weekly gratitude

You know my intent was first, to get this post up Sunday night then second, to get it done last night.

But you see, I'm housesitting at Jodi's again and there were kitties to be cuddled, a puppy to be loved on, and five chickens to be wrangled back into their coop in a stunning, haphazardly choreographed dance (them, not me, but they're chickens so their fine motor skills aren't exactly that of a Russian ballerina, so you can imagine how entertaining this would have been to watch, with them fluttering all around and me following, wishing I knew the next move) (on that note, for those of you with lingering questions about why I never pursued a life as one of the Rockettes, I hope your curiosity has now been assuaged). 

So what I'm trying to say is this:

I am just as grateful on Tuesday as I was on Sunday.

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1. Thank you for another wonderful Saturday morning at Generations! This month Wendy Palau spoke and it was quite simply breathtaking.  I had gone by myself, as I usually do, and after getting a cup of tea and some breakfast goodies I found a seat and settled in. But then I saw my friend Trudy and her daughters so I popped over to say "hi" and they invited me to sit with them - and it made all the difference! Trudy and I always see each other Sunday mornings, but rarely have a chance to talk much, so it was lovely to have the opportunity to get to know each other a little more. And then - this was the kicker - we got to know the woman sitting on the other side of me. Quick scene setting: a big part of Wendy's story was of how she and her husband, after having two healthy children, suffered three miscarriages before going to Ethiopia to adopt their daughter. Now when Trudy asked the woman next to me what she thought of the event, had she heard Wendy's story before, if anything had resonated with her, "what's your story?" and whatnot. And she said no, she had not heard Wendy's story (had never even heard of her for that matter) and yes, something had hit her when Wendy was speaking... Because this woman and her husband had two beautiful children, had suffered three miscarriages and we getting ready to go to Ethiopia to adopt their daughter. 

I was beyond words. So I just cried. We all did actually. What a trio we were.

But yeah... I'm really grateful for that experience because it was an intense reminder that there is something big at work in this life, and it's pretty spectacular. 

2. Thank you for this. 

3. Thank you for sweet serendipity (how many of you have that song stuck in your head now?). Friday night after work, after ending the day on a slightly sour note with some difficult customers, I decided my only recourse was to stop by Red Hills Market and grab a bottle of rose and head home to make a big salad and watch a good movie. But life had other plans because as I was standing there, debating between Lange and Beckham Estates wines, there came a tap on my shoulder: Mari! She was meeting a friend there, asked me to join them and the evening turned into exactly what I needed. We ate, we talked, we were impressed that Mari knew EVERYONE and then went back to the house where she was housesitting to play with the two labradoodles who live there and indulge in a gin & tonic (with Ransom gin which, if you've never had it, try it! it's not your average gin!). All in all, a perfect, unexpected evening with a dear friend. 

4. Thank you also for another night at RHM, but this time with Jodi. After work Sunday (I should mention here that yes, I did end up at RHM three nights in a row) she and I dropped by just for a quick bite as a little bon voyage before she and Scott left for Mazatlan Monday morning. We bought a bottle of wine, a meat & cheese plate and tucked into a conversation that had me realizing just how lucky I am to have a friend in her. And we discovered a new wine. Good night.

5. Thank you for N.T. Wright and his amazing, open-minded, open-hearted, researched, respectful, brilliant and yes, even humorous approach to speaking about Christianity. Guys, this man is a bishop, and he is the first to show respect to other faiths and remind people that it's not about the religion, it's about the faith. Also, he did this. 

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OK, I'm off to go play with the dog then off to the craft store to get supplies for a project I'm working on with Jared's sister Terra (so excited)!