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.         

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