Gratitude is the sign of noble souls ~ Aesop


Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving ~ Kahlil Gabran


Joy delights in joy ~ William Shakespeare


Friday, April 29, 2011

My week in gratitude

Wow, I don't know where this week has gone! I am thankful for the hilarious sight of lumbering Alfie chasing a lumbering bumble bee, for the peonies getting taller every day, for the new sandwich Ryan and I made up -- hummus and vinaigrette on whole wheat with orange pepper, cucumbers, tomato and feta cheese with olives on the side -- yum, I am thankful for the beautiful and uplifting spectacle of the Royal Wedding, for the hope and joy of it all and the lovely songs and sermon as well as the gorgeous dress, I'm thankful for the equally charming spectacle of the goldfinches and chickadees swooping in to feed at the feeder outside my window, I'm thankful that i found a little money in an envelope that I had forgotten I hid so that I can buy a new spring dress, and I'm thankful that the DVD's I ordered of Audrey Hepburn's Gardens of the World has come in so that I can watch it tonight while I recover from a migraine. So much to be grateful for -- and I must add that I am grateful that my family is all healthy and safe!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

The man with the red shoes

I'm thankful that I finally got to see Garrison Keillor (and his famous red shoes and socks) in a live taping of Prairie Home Companion last night. What a masterful storyteller and entertainer! The show was created the same year that I was, which may be why it speaks to me so. All of those years of hearing it on the radio in the car when I was a kid, wishing that we were listening to Madonna instead -- and now I search it out voluntarily. It just sounds like home:)

An awesome poem for Easter day

HOLY SONNETS: DEATH, BE NOT PROUD

By John Donne


Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Friday, April 22, 2011

So much for keeping the dogs off the bed:)

Finished

After 3 months of pulling up floors and sanding and punching holes in walls and filling holes in walls and painting and painting some more -- I'm thankful we finished renovating our bathroom today! What an awesome feeling it is to do hard work and see the results...so gratifying. I'm sure it'll look just like a regular little bathroom to anyone who comes over, but to me it's GORGEOUS! A little beach haven with soothing sandy walls and cool blue tiles and white washed wood floors. Hooray!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Thanks, Lisa!

I love getting unexpected packages in the mail! And today's was extra special, not only because it came from my childhood best friend Lisa (I love that I recognized her writing from all those years growing up where we sent actual letters to one another), but also because it was homemade. A homemade bar of lotion -- not only a thoughtful gift, but nourishing and pampering as well:) I have never even heard of a bar of lotion before, but it worked beautifully when I rubbed it in my hands to warm it up -- and it was only 3 ingredients! Amazing how the simplest things can bring the most joy.
She sells them on etsy (an awesome website with all kinds of homemade things for sale), in case you want to try one...or send one to someone out of the blue to make their day like she did mine:)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/70548570/lotion-bar-for-sensitive-skin-3oz-see?ref=em

Bells


can you smell the bells
small symphony of fragrance
singing in the wind

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Tuscan Bean soup for the soul

I'm thankful that my hubby made me homemade soup tonight...it was comforting and yummy and exactly what I needed:)

Monday, April 18, 2011

Heaven on a plate

Today, after three days of craving a slice of lemon meringue pie, Ryan and I found a diner and I ate a slice the size of my head. I am thankful for two things: first, that it tasted like pure joy dancing on my tongue -- and second, I am thankful for the tummy ache I've had all night because I will not be making a habit of eating pie slices the size of my head:)

If only I could catch it in a bottle...

Yesterday my heart leapt at the sight of PINK LIGHTENING outside my open door -- I happened to look out at exactly the time that the bolt struck -- a bright shock of pink lit up the night sky and everything glowed a glorious rose color. Absolute MAGIC. I can't stop thinking about it and how badly I want to see it again. I never knew such a thing existed before! I actually went online to make sure I wasn't seeing things -- and yes, it's rare, but real! Something to so with atmospheric conditions and the mist and particles in the air. All I know is that it was truly awe-inspiring, and I'm grateful I had the chance to see it:)

Sunday, April 17, 2011

I love a parade

Today was palm Sunday and the church I went to (in the middle of town) had a tradition that just made me happy to be a part of -- there was an actual BAGPIPER outside the church, and to begin the service, everyone was given a palm to wave and we followed the bagpiper down the street and around the block in a processional. I felt both a bit embarrassed and somewhat dorky, but also also special walking along the street on a breezy and beautiful morning as the cars drove past watching the spectacle -- I felt like I was in a miniature parade. It's fun to step outside your comfort zone every now and then, and somehow it felt good to step outside the box of the church itself to take to the streets and claim my faith for all the Sunday morning shoppers to see. It felt awesome to be part of a small community where something like that was possible. Plus the bagpiper was just pretty darn cool:)

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Watching the world wake up

It's a pretty spectacular thing going through an honest to goodness spring season after 13 years. California is sort of a perpetual spring, with many lovely plants in bloom year round...but there is something extra special and invigorated about watching the daily progression of life bursting forth after a long winter in the east. It brings me such joy to notice each new centimeter of green pushing through the barren branches while the colorful cardinals and blue jays partake in the feeders Ryan has hung for my bird watching entertainment. And it is entertainment -- with all the bobbing and swooping and hoping and posturing -- and the Robins constantly chasing each other, on foot, no less, across the new grass. The laughing daffodils are also a true delight. What a blessing it is to watch the whole world wake up.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Come on get happy...

I stumbled upon a new channel that makes me sooo happy -- it's called antennae TV, channel 120 for me. Anyway, there's episodes of Gidget (adorable!) and The Flying Nun (also adorable!), and The Monkeys (hilarious!) and The Partridge Family (even more hilarious!). They put me in such a good mood. I watched an episode of The Partridge Family last night that filmed at King's Island in Cincinnati - and it brought back so many memories of when I was a kid. It was a smaller park back when they filmed, but I still recognized all my favorite rides and the big wanna be Eiffel Tower. So nice to see such simple, sweet storylines -- and Sally Field is just the greatest:)

Friday, April 8, 2011

SOUL SURFER!

I'm thankful and joyful that SOUL SURFER, a movie that I helped to write -- OPENS TODAY! In theaters across the country! It's every writer's dream to have an honest to goodness audience see their writing come to life. And as I have told many of my family and friends, while my name is not on the screen (because of some arbitrary WGA rules), my heart is up there for everyone to see. I hope that it blesses everyone who sees it and helps them to feel a little more courageous and inspired just for watching it. I'm humbled and grateful to all of my family and friends who have been so supportive, and I nearly cried today when I learned that my nearly 87 year old grandmother got to see my words up on the silver screen.
I also found it a cool little piece of trivia that it was on this day in 1820 that the Venus de Milo was discovered...the same day that SOUL SURFER opens, a movie in which the Venus de Milo actually plays an important part in one of my favorite scenes:)
Writing on the project was difficult, and at times even painful, but it has all worked out for the best, just like Romans 8:28 promised it would. And I am grateful to have been a part of something that has turned out to be very special...

Thursday, April 7, 2011

It's working!

I've only been doing yoga for three weeks now and I was so excited that in that short amount of time, I was able to do a full plank today instead of using my knees as support. Sounds like a small thing, but felt very big to me. I'm thankful to be getting stronger and healthier and I can't wait until I can do a headstand;)

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Home at last:)

I'm thankful my hubby is finally coming home tonight! Yippee!!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Avian Royalty

I saw a Giant Blue Heron in my pond yesterday and it absolutely took my breath away for the regal way it walked: deliberate and purposeful, not at all hurried -- and also for the sheer beauty of it's blue and white plumes and the jagged feather bib it wore. Graceful, tall, and yet, demure -- it was the Princess Di of the avian world.

New Light

I'm thankful for the J.B. Phillips Bible translation...it's so wonderful to get a fresh take on verses I've read so many times...helps to understand the feeling beneath the words and to see the stories in a new light. It's like adding watermelon to a salad -- wakes up the senses and helps you pay attention again to something that you love but that you might have started taking for granted.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

The Early Bird Special

I love that at exactly 4:20pm every day the geese come waddling out of the pond for dinner on the back lawn:)

Milk and honey

I am thankful that I finally understand the term "land of milk and honey"...it always sounded gross to me and I could never quite understand why they were used to describe the promised land -- until I had my first taste of Greek honey yogurt today with its subtle sweetness over just the right amount of tang and the texture of a whipped cloud -- well, there was no mistaking the taste of heaven:)