Today is Thursday

Good morning, dear ones far and near.  Winter had not quite released it's grip on us here in Carolina, though Spring has been teasing us with her presence for several weeks, with everything in bloom. For the past several days, however, nighttime temps have been dipping into the 30s, with daytimes only in the upper 40s and filled with chill rain.However, we need the rain...and the redbuds seem untouched by the cold...dogwoods still hold the promise of blooming soon...and trees are budding leaves everywhere i look. 

Counting my blessings this morning, as I snuggle under my down comforter, waiting for the heat to warm the house. First and foremost, i count each of you...for the beauty and richness and companionship you bring to my life...my precious family, most especially my dear children and the grand grands who color my life with joy and delight, with love and support and encouragement.

Then, of course, there are my comfortable house and bed, the dependable heat, and a refrigerator and pantry down in the kitchen, stocked with food. Add my HD radio which brings me classical music whenever i want it, as well as the news of the world, whether i want it or not...my computer, which these days mostly helps, confounding and frustrating me less and less...my car which, being a hybrid, is keeping expenditures on gas to a managable level in these days of rising prices...my stacks of books-to-be-read as well as those already read, a ready source of information and entertainment...

I could go on and on, but you get the idea, i think. Gratitude fills my heart this morning, as i await the rising of the sun, which is, i've discovered, a good way to begin my day. Gratitude crowds out complaint, resentment, discouragement...leaving no room for them. Gratitude opens my heart to compassion for those in need, for those in pain. 

gratitude
It isn't about being

                 somewhere else...

It isn't about having

                 a different life...

It isn't about being

                 problem-free...

It isn't about changing

                 anything...

                 except your perspective...

                 stepping back and seeing

                 all you have & are through

                 thanks-filled eyes...

                       and realizing

                               IT IS ENOUGH.    
And so i enter my day in this contemplative frame of mind, breathing in the early-morning peace, in the hope that i can carry this awareness with me throughout the day...that i can LIVE what i say i believe and value...that i can be truly grateful for every moment, every breath, whatever befalls. May gratitude breath through you today, dear ones; may joy and hope surround you; and may you know, without any doubt, that you are loved.
love, linda

re-valuing...

What values do I live by,

really? Faithfulness to

friends...care for family...

maintaining connections...

living in thankfulness...

and a lot of other “stuff”

I SAY I value, but don't

LIVE as if I do...

Keep my feet on the

path, O God...push, pull,

prod me, for I am indeed

like that wayward sheep

who strays from the path,

believing greener pastures

lie over the next ridge,

unaware that danger also

lurks there- alluring,

seductive, waiting to

pounce upon my unaware,

unsuspecting heart.

Help me to LIVE the things

I say I value, I believe...

help me to BE the person

I most want to be, the

person I have been created

to be. Grant me the grace

to accept my failures &

foibles...to rejoice in my

blessings & blessedness...

Open my eyes & heart

to the wonder of life's

journey, to the miracle of

every step & misstep...

Companion me, Mother

God, and grant that I may

companion others along

the way, sharing this

journey with my fellow

pilgrims in love & awe &

gratitude.

     Let it be so-

     let this be my path

      today.