Saturday, June 19, 2010

21.5.800 21 Day Challenge Day 12



Gratitude Inventory

My husband: He knows me. He buys milk. He worries about our future so I can be in the present each day with our kids. He eats vegetarian meals that I cook for him…he cooks vegetarian meals for me. He loves to grow things. He is patient. He suggests that we take the kids swimming. He looks good in a suit. He looks great on a tractor (in my mind).

My daughter: She misses the forest sometimes, but always sees the trees.  She helps me see the trees. She cares for her brothers (even Reeves) deep down inside. She is my role model for compassion. She draws in fine detail. She loves milk. She helps all the time with her baby brother. She has lovely hands. She is big enough to sit in the front seat and keep me company on trips. She is becoming a beautiful young woman.

My #1 son: He is sweet and sour. He has a sweet voice that I will miss when he hits puberty. He has cute, square feet. He is wise beyond his years and still innocent. He is an excellent reader. He genuinely loves his brother and sister. He speaks gently to the cat. He writes like a child, but understands more than some adults. He is intuitive and full of love.

My #2 son: He has the blondest curls. He is really good at pee-peeing in the potty. He announces a potty accident with, “You not mad?” He calls his sister “Sissy” and his brother “Bo.” He gives gentle hugs and kisses. He likes to cuddle. He hates changes, but adapts easily when given a nudge. He is not afraid of the water. He is eager to learn. He loves trains and dinosaurs. He eats his vegetables.

Cuss words: They are not magical…but empowering when I feel out of control.

Beets: One of my favorite vegetables that no one else in the family will eat. They taste like earth and are dangerously red.

Farmers markets: Feel like honesty. I love a market where the vendors are the farmers who grew own crops. I love heirloom tomatoes, beets, Swiss chard, candy onions, and sour cherries. I love handmade signs, local honey, and flowers cut hours before market time. I love the free puppies and kittens and the street musicians.

Lemon Pie: Perfect in its imperfection. Sold by a vendor at the market, the last one among other straggling goodies. No boxed mixes. Tangy and sweet at once.  Delicious. The beginning of my aspirations to make pies.

The farm: Our meeting place.

The van: Nicknamed “Blue Jack” by the kids. He has a small dent in the back bumper, a peeling Namaste sticker, apple cores in the back seat, a driver-side window that won’t roll down, and filthy windows. But…he gets us wherever we want to go with no complaints. He’s been good to us.

McDonalds: Though I am hesitate to acknowledge this shrine to factory farming, I have made it through many a sleepy afternoon drive with McD’s $1 unsweetened tea.

A lost Nintendo DS: A lesson in patience and unattachment has fallen upon my middle child…no, he is teaching me about these things through his reaction (nonreaction) to his loss. Though he is greatly disappointed, he is remarkably calm and resigned to the loss. He has already devised a plan but not one involving instant gratification. Go boy!

A pumpkin vine: A mighty vine that has taken over our flower bed and is crawling across the lawn toward the public sidewalk. She is reminding me to bloom where I am planted…and bloom with gusto!

Lessons learned and blessing counted.
What is in your gratitude inventory this week?
Post your list or a link in the comments!

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