#Blessed

Yet again, here I am to participate in the blog hop over at the Melissa Taylor Bible Study, Stressed-Less Living.   If you are visiting from there, thanks for stopping by!

Despite the fact that Philippians 4:8 is a verse that I love (in fact, a verse that I chose as part of Pk's life verse), I don't feel as if I have anything intelligent to say about it today and I'd rather not dwell on the Goliath's I face at the moment, so I am going to just revel in some blessings in my life right now.

1.  Kind friends - As I've said here over and over again, I'm a weird introvert who needs friends.  I don't want to be with people all the time and I find making small talk really hard but I honestly value the dear people who brighten my days with their smiles, their understanding and acceptance of who I am.  I have several friends who feel like family and especially during the hard times, they are a big part of what carries me through.

2.  The miracle of a garden - each year, we plant and each year, I marvel when the plants actually grow.  My flowers are progressing nicely and more excitingly, at the moment, the heavy rain we have had is just what my newly planted seeds need.  Here's hoping we will have all kinds of salad greens ready before we know it.

3.  Books, books and books - when I was a child, my parents never had the money to order from Scholastic and when the flyers came home, I used to dream about what to buy.  Whatever else I say no to, I always find the money for a few books for the kids and yesterday, a new shipment arrived via Pk's teacher.  They are more than just something to read for me - they represent warm and sleepy times in bed with Pk as we read in the evening, adventures and leaping off into new interests (right now, with Pk it's anything about horses and with Lb, it's anything Hot Wheels or Mighty Machines).  It's a shared language for our family and I think my best memory of yesterday was seeing Lb lay down on the floor beside Dh with a book in his hand and they read there together, book after book.

4.  A new start every morning - some people may think that I am insane but I love the morning more than any other time of day. I get up early and take the dogs for a walk and it's my time to think, to plan, to dream and to pray.  My favourite spot for prayer is the little bridge with the sound of the water rushing below.  My best ideas come at that time and it's when I can shake off the stresses that have come before and start fresh.  These days, now that it is light so early and I can smell the apple blossoms and lilacs as we walk and admire the forget-me-nots that are everywhere and be overwhelmed by the lushness after the starkness of winter and early spring, it feels like a treat every morning.

I could go on forever but I won't bore you with it now.  What are you grateful for today?