grace enough.

it seems we're making a habit of it, these nights short on shut-eye. i slid quiet between flannel sheets at a Reasonable Hour last night, but lay there brain-wired, wishing for sleep till sometime after 1:00. then five seconds later 'tis 4:40 and a voice calls to me from the bathroom, plaintive and small.

[why is it that the voices never call 'daddy' at 4am? what's the endless fixation with 'mommmmmy'?]

and as is my modus operandi, once i'm upright and disinfecting all washable surfaces, i never can manage to drowse off again.

nonetheless. it is monday and along with the good people of the gratitude community, i am choosing thankfulness.

#s 78-92

brimming gratitude today:

for clothes that keep even the littlest of us snug through a hard freeze

for leftover fabric scraps and selvages tied up into a cheery garland



[so confessional moment here: we have lived in this house going on 4.75 years, and only now have i bedecked that lonely curtain rod with a bit of swag. makes me shrug up my shoulders all happy every time i walk into the bathroom. yes, even in the wee hours of night.]



for grace enough for this day

for food in the pantry

for sons who rub holes in their socks the very first wear

for the nannies chasing after our littlest on the far curve of the earth

for the bouncing fiasco that is kindergarten basketball

for an aunt and uncle and cousins who wake early and brave sub-zero wind to cheer on my kiddos

for pillowcase dresses and a high school gal who sees far beyond herself



for the librarian with the raspy voice who never runs out of lollipops

for a chance to see my beautiful older brother via webcam

for milk

for friends heading to africa

for big, someday dreams

and for ann, who knows what it means to breathe.