Thankful Thursday: Awakenings

Who could not be thankful after this glorious week? Spring walked in, did a little waltz, and then left down the back stairs and disappeared again. But, oh, was the music wonderful while it lasted!
I love the night air when it is warm. And this week the huge moon hung in the sky like a Halloween ornament, casting shadows of the still bare trees and on grass becoming green.
I stepped out the back door in the darkness- breathed deeply- and imagined a yard bright with a summer party...of ice tinkling in tea glasses...of brats sizzling on the grill...of laughter and music and a family full of love.
(Family love is a comfortable love. It's where you can wear your ugliest jeans, your most comfortable shoes, your worst hairstyle, and lay in the lawn chair and nap if you want. Because family understands... and they don't care what you wear or how you look.
They are there for the memories.)

I walked out to the pond this week..saw tiny bluegill popping near the surface... tufts of sprouting vegetation beginning to frame the banks...bold little birds picking straw from the garden spot...the neighbors cat lapping the cool water near the crooked dock...
And I felt the wonder of the sun- the touch of it as it saturated my face, curled around my shoulders, and blinded my eyes. It was a peace that overtook my weary winter soul, and I am thankful that spring is on its way. Even if it teases us just a bit...

I am thankful for grandchildren- for their funny, awkward innocence..for their boldness- their creativity...for their soft hugs and little-kid smells...for their honesty and yearning for knowledge...for their unending imaginations and their restless energy...

I am thankful for my children...yet- I see so many changes ahead for all of them.

My step-daughter is going through a separation and my middle daughter just got a divorce. I'm thankful that I have a God that I believe in and know will protect and guide their lives into happiness again.
Then, my other daughter and my only son have weddings planned.
As a mother, I'm experiencing both ends of the spectrum. My heart is full of joy, but spills with sorrow also.
But, I continue to be thankful that they are all healthy and beautiful and intelligent.

I am thankful for those afternoons when I can grab a cup of coffee and a Russell Stover Strawberry Cream Egg and not allow myself to feel one iota of guilt.

I am thankful for new dishcloths and towels.

I am thankful for a new bottle of dish washing liquid. It looks so much better than the almost-empty one with the green crusty-dried-up soap on the tip. The new one has hand moisturizers and Oil of Olay and smells like the beach.

I am thankful for my husband. His feet have hurt so much this week, but every morning he gets up and goes to work, no matter how he feels. And he hugs me every night and he loves me -even though I don't make a single penny by blogging or shopping at WalMart- and despite the fact that my feet are slippered or enveloped in soft socks all day- or cranked up on the footstool...

I'm thankful for blogging buddies who stop by and say hello even though my internet seems to keep me from commenting on their blogs...for talented writers who inspire me and kick major butt with their woven words and God-given creativity...for people I don't even know, but keep me going everyday...

I'm thankful for another week- another weekend- even if it's cold and rainy...we'll go to a movie or order a pizza or just sit and dream of spring waltzing in again...

Hopefully, this time to stay.