De-lovely night

Last night we got to go see a friend of mine give a brilliant performance in the hilarious and feel good Broadway musical called ANYTHING GOES that is filled with some of the most AMAZING songs ever written! I mean, I Get a Kick Out of You, You're the Top, Anything Goes and It's De-lovely all in the same musical...crazy! I was having neck and head pain all day, but as it turns out, laughter really is the best medicine, because by the time the show was over I was feeling sooo much better:) Good enough to wander around the Big Apple afterwards and to enjoy a perfect spring night. It was also a joy to walk through a nearly empty Grand Central Station before taking the last train home...

The Queen of Daytime

I'm thankful for The Oprah Show and for Oprah the woman. I know she may be easy to make fun of, but she really did usher in an age of openness in our society, and has inspired so much good. I'm thankful that she encouraged people to read and to give of their time and resources and to take responsibility for their own lives. She certainly helped to encourage me during some trying times -- and also just provided some awesome entertainment from the interviews with stars that I love, to all those crazy give aways. I think millions of people are more conscious and aware, more grateful and giving, and more well dressed because of her;) Good bye, Oprah. Thank you.

I'm thankful that the rain has stopped and my baby flowers have survived the onslaught. I'm thankful for the glorious breeze through the open windows and the peaceful sound of the fountain below. And while it's not as romantic as breezes and fountains, I am thankful for plumbers -- I don't think people realize what big trouble we'd be in without them. Also, I'm glad mosquitoes don't like me as much as they did when I was a kid...I guess I've soured with age;)

Shhh

I'm grateful for no TV Tuesdays in our house...it is a welcome interruption in our noisy, sensory overloaded lives. We literally sat and listened to the rain fall tonight and it was as beautiful as a string quartet playing outside our window. Sustained quiet ushers a different kind of peace into my life, and I love it.

A few days worth of gratitude

I'm thankful my hubby is finally home and I'm thankful that we finished planting the most beautiful garden in the world today...complete with a tiny birdbath and a pretty bench to sit and take in all the lovely things that are growing:)

I was thinking today how, when I was a little kid, I always wanted a house that had a lamppost out front just like my Nana and Papa's house -- and now I do, and that makes me happy.

I'm thankful for air conditioning and for windows that open and I think we have the prettiest weed-iest lawn in the world. Seriously -- there's at least 35 different kinds of wildflowers and weeds out there instead of lawn. It looks like a wild meadow instead of a golf course and I love it. I'm grateful for inspiring stories that build me up when I'm feeling down, like the documentary OVER 90 AND LOVING IT and also like ABC's Extreme Home Makeover.

Light and fire

I am thankful for candles...their dancing light is a delight to contemplate while meditating and praying. Tonight, I had a candle lit and two more were reflected in the window behind it...and then a third very faint refection came into view as it got darker, creating the image of four flickering flames -- and it made me think of the remarkable story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the Bible. They were thrown into a fiery furnace for their faith -- but the fire didn't burn them, and when the King who threw them in there looked in, he saw a 4th figure -- God. I love the image of God standing with us in the flames, and the reminder that while the fire might get hot and uncomfortable and scary, it can not consume us.

Purring dog (turn your volume up:)

Mother Goose

I have been missing my geese friends for a couple of weeks, but lo and behold, they showed up today in the backyard: Mother Goose, Father Goose...and introducing BABY GOOSE! She's the little puff of fluff to the right of her parents. Not a great picture, but it sure was fun to watch the family waddling around outside my window this morning...just like a fairy tale:)

Mr. Farmer

My austere neighbor, a WWII vet (who in his 80's and battling cancer, can still haul and chop firewood from the felled trees on our property) told me a story today about the day fifty years ago, when he first drove up to view the property with his wife. They had to stop halfway up the driveway to allow a family of ducks with six chicks to cross and in that instant he knew that he was home, before he even saw the house -- and the look on his face confirmed what I have always known, that time is relative and there is no such thing as age.

Happy Birthday Audrey:)

I'm thankful for the glowing example of the lovely Audrey Hepburn and the inspiration she has been in my life. I had the great fortune to meet Gregory Peck once and when I asked him about Audrey, he told me, "She was everything you'd hope she was - and more." What a wonderful thing to live your life in such a way that people could say that about you. Here's one of her many quotes that I love:

I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.
Audrey Hepburn

Fresh herbs

We planted an herb garden today and there was just something glorious about all of the savory smells mixed with the earthy smells of the rich dirt and the wildflowers blooming nearby. I also planted 3 kinds of lettuce. I can't wait to find new recipes to cook with all of the fresh new tastes growing outside! I don't think I've ever cooked with tarragon. Very exciting:)