I know Sundays are really thought of as the beginning of a new week, but I often think of them as the opposite…closing the door on a few days and getting ready for what is next…a winding down day of sorts.
I hope you’ve found some reasons to celebrate over the past few days. I surely have.
My daughter celebrated a birthday …
My son and I spent a full day together …
Art I created is hanging on a beautiful museum gallery’s wall in Shreveport until May 8 …
There were walks in solitude and in the company of others …
There were wildflowers and children picking flowers and trees bursting into bloom …
There were sweet conversations and affirmations …
There was love.
That’s a lot.
Before I write here again, I’ll be celebrating a birthday. The numbers on the outside get bigger, but inside they really don’t seem to…and I’m grateful.
I wish you the abundance of good I’ve seen this week and the realization that it matters that we acknowledge it.
Obviously, there is a lot wrong in the world today. As I go about my days trying to look for the good, I realize how very easy it is to find it. I could be in another human’s place in a war torn country. Yet, here I am.
A full moon shone in on three of my grandchildren late last night. It had been a busy evening of playing and dinner and teeth brushing and potty patrol and finally, quite late, all were sprawled, sleeping peacefully in my bed. I, too, slept peacefully, without worry of bombs. I’m aware of how that sounds, but it’s the truth. So many of us enjoy such abundance. Does it matter that we recognize it? Doesn’t a Ukrainian grandmother deserve the same freedom and privilege? Don’t her grandchildren? Don’t we all?
Until the day comes when we can all live without fear of evil, my power is in paying attention to my life. In honoring the days and moments. In noticing the gifts.
News reports show a lot of tragedy, but they also show spirit and resilience and art and music and care in the midst of great danger and harm. I’m grateful for people who know one act of defiance is to carry on. I honor the Ukrainian people here tonight with their great and powerful spirit.
Other good things to note:
Time spent digging in the dirt this week, with some eager helpers…
Maya Angelou quarters found their way to me, finally. I’ve been searching my change for weeks. Haha. But it happened. And I’m glad I care about it…
Quiet solo time spent on the patio. It was a daily refuge early in the pandemic, but I rarely spend much solo time there lately. This week, I did, and was rewarded with a woodpecker concert. The beauty of nature. How much goes on that we miss…
Coffee with a dear friend this week and the gift of catching up on each other’s lives in real time…
My daughter’s birthday is this week. We won’t be able to celebrate it in person, but I’m thankful for her, her life, and her care for the world…and I hope her new year is filled with goodness and light.
It’s a gift to wish people well, to honor them, to support them, to be present with them. I recall author Ray Bradbury’s words: “We are here to witness and celebrate.” We are.
I’ll stop with that thought: let us witness and celebrate during the coming week. And pray for peace.
This week’s gratitude post centers around one decision: buying a $1.99 clearance bouquet of roses in a grocery store early last week.
It was a seemingly simple decision, but as the week wore on, that bouquet kept being an active participant and companion in my comings and goings.
The lady in front of me started the whole thing because I noticed her wildflower bouquet with a huge yellow sticker marked $1.99. Wow, you got a great deal there I said to her. She agreed and said You really should go look. There’s a cart full of bouquets near the produce section.
Well, needless to say, I left the prime spot in line and ventured to the farthest corner of the store where I was greeted with a cart overflowing with choices.
Surprisingly, I almost didn’t buy them. It is, after all, Lent…a time of self sacrifice yada yada yada. But, 1.99. Haha.
So, I chose the ones pictured here…this happy bouquet which in an odd way has been my focus this week. Unexpected.
As I paid for them, the clerk commented on the price and said You will surely get $1.99’s worth of enjoyment out of these.
I agreed, and as I walked away, I heard the next customer in line also talking about her random find of happy flowers. I guess the domino effect really is alive and well. We notice what others have, and I guess that could be bad in a lot of cases, but in this one, lots of good. Lots of color. Beauty. Sweetness.
The next day, I decided to make a smaller bouquet and take to my office. A car bouquet is a fun thing, and it brightened my commute as well as my office all day long.
Then, I met a friend to deliver a letter of recommendation, and as a last minute decision, put a couple of the flowers in a jar for her. She was delighted.
Onward to the next day, when another nosegay bouquet accompanied me to my local workplace. As I left for the day, I offered them to a coworker to give his wife, and he accepted delightedly. This little bouquet surely worked hard for a lot of folks. ❤️
I showed them to my daughter as we Skyped this weekend. Dang…that little hometown bouquet went global just like that, bringing a moment of joy and color to another life.
Then, my granddaughters noticed and were also taken by the variety of colors.
This little bouquet has been seen by others this week, has graced my art table as I draw and paint and marvel at the layers and depths of a single bud.
Anyway, you get the idea. They did indeed give me $1.99’s worth of enjoyment.
And I hope as you view them, they bring you the gifts of color, light, beauty, and love.
The world is in need of so much. Could it really start with simple decisions on each of our parts to take a moment to elevate something small to a place of importance?
A blog reaching out to victims of abuse and others in need, providing insight about abuse, hope for the future, and guidance to see THE LIGHT that lead Secret Angel out of the darkness of her own abusive situation and helped her to not only survive but to overcome.
agnestirrito 