Stasia's Place Of Grace

Sunday, August 25, 2002

 

Thankful For...

Today I am thankful...

• That I finished the front of the gray cable sweater, and am now ready to start the sleeves! This feels wonderful!

• For yummy English tea with milk. Such a comforting thing. There is a quote in the (very strange but good) film The Shipping News that goes something like, "Tea's a good drink. It'll make you feel better." That is so true, no matter what ails you!

• That the young oak tree in our meadow survived being mowed down for years (before we got here and allowed our prairie to grow) and that it is now about sixteen feet tall!

  I have no idea where the acorn that sprouted it came from, yet I also spotted another young oak near our path! To me it is a true miracle that they both somehow arrived here, actually took root, and then survived regular scalpings from the former owner's lawnmower.

  I adore oak trees and I hope that 100 years from now, someone will appreciate that we let them grow.

• For wooly bear caterpillars, a sure sign that fall is on its way. I saw the first black and brown one today on the trail. They have to be the cutest insects in the world!

• For Chester, my good watchdog, who barks when things go bump in the night. It makes me feel safe to have him here, even if he can be The Wild Dog Of Borneo sometimes.

• For a glorious, breezy, sunny day with HUGE poofy white clouds. It was so gorgeous that I just had to get in my car and drive past the nearby lakes, and through woods, and even by a llama farm!

  Unfortunately that drive culminated in a visit to KFC, but I am thankful I only had a sandwich and not the family-of-four meal!

  I am thankful that I feel so guilty for confessing to you that I've been eating junk that it might make a difference in my eating habits this week! We can only hope...

• That my friend Linda is settled in her new home with her kids again.

• That my dog Tori's eye and tooth surgeries went perfectly this week and that today she was back to her old self, pouncing at Valentine to get him to play with her. He obliged, as always.

• That I may have Jeff's family members convinced to stop feuding long enough to attend my birthday pizza party (coordinated in the hopes that it might be a good opportunity for them to "play nice").

  Sometimes I wish we lived at the turn of the century, when people who didn't particularly like each other could still put on a civil show in public. There is a lot to be said for having good manners in awkward situations... it gives people a common ground of acceptable behavior, so that disagreements don't escalate so easily.

  I am thankful that I know the boundaries of how much I can be involved in such problems; that I can use my birthday as an opportunity for them to make peace; and that if they choose not to, I have the wisdom to take a step back from the situation and let them do as they will. Sometimes you have to know when to just do nothing, and go on enjoying your own life, even if others are missing the sun, the moon, and the stars shining on them.

• That today I caught CBS News Sunday Morning and got to see clips from the new film, "Possession". I am re-reading A.S. Byatt's book (for the third time - it is a difficult book) and am looking forward to seeing the film.

  They also showed some moose with a sweet baby moose in their ending video segment. I love moose (the flag I have up this week on the house has a moose on it!) and it was a wonderful, peaceful sight to see them happily grazing with their huge moosey lips in the lake. Don'tcha' just love moose lips?

  What an interesting show - I think I will have to make watching it a regular habit!

I had a lot to be thankful for today. I hope you did, too!

Theresa, I have given up hoping that your indigo vat is ever going to be something to be thankful for, though!

You have a great week, full of productive moments and awareness of things to be thankful for!

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