As the holiday weekend winds down, I’m perhaps a bit late in expressing my gratitude for the many blessings in my life. I make a point of counting my blessings regularly, but on this Sunday evening, I’d like to take a few moments to be intentionally grateful for the days that are just passing.

So I’m Grateful.

Grateful for lovely family and lovely friends. Grateful for what felt like many gatherings, large and small, over meals and coffee and tea. Grateful for time to break bread and just sit and be with people I love and respect with time and time to spare in a life that usually feels much too fast. Grateful to be so richly blessed with wonderful people in my life.

Grateful for rest. I’ve slept and slept and slept these past few days. I feel tired a lot, most of the time lately, but I sometimes tell myself it’s in my mind. It’s not. I fell asleep early, slept later than usual, and I dozed off every time I sat or lay for any length of time, which was more often over the past 4 days then in a long time. I’m not sure how to get enough rest in this life, and I could sleep more, but this was a good start.

Grateful for more time than usual with the two girls I love immensely. Grateful for time to talk and hold them. Grateful for the many times over the past few days that they both climbed into my lap. Grateful they both still do. Grateful we had time for a six year old to play pony all day long and to find just the right color snow pants for a thirteen year old, because these things are oh so important when you’re six and thirteen. I’m grateful I still remember a little of what it was like to be both these ages.

Grateful for the many abundances in my life. Grateful for good food, that I have always been able to feed my children in world where not every parent can say this. Grateful we have a roof, and clothing and more. We are so very fortunate.

Grateful to have a little time to remember that I actually like who I am when I’m not so exhausted and strapped for time. I suspect many or most of us would feel like better people with more rest and less fullness. I don’t know the answer to any of this, but I’m grateful for the moments to ponder the question once again.

With gratitude….