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This is a relatively newer, periodic, blog feature; I call it “grace notes.” It occasionally captures my jottings of incidental gratitude. My hope is that this practice will make me (and you?) more aware of the constant flow of amazing good we are perpetually steeped in, which we are surrounded by all the time. It is here only asking to be noticed and amplified.

So now I am furthering my ongoing goal of appreciating such a continuous, overflowing abundance of random good. I’ve even taken photographs of some of them –mostly with my iPhone–as shown in this post. Isn’t the photo above amazing? Yup, it was taken with my iPhone.

So let’s start this gratitude list with that:

• my new iPhone and the fabulous photos it takes
• being able to see so much of my husband’s family recently in Texas, as well as some former homeschooling friends relocated to Houston, and a friend of our daughter’s in Austin.
• the three lovely meals we had out in Austin at restaurants that I totally recommend: Picnik, Parkside, and Second Kitchen
• beautiful, interesting museums, and especially free admittance
• friends putting me up in Vermont so I could go to that workshop
• being invested in steady church attendance in both effort and heart
• colorful, delicious winter citrus and that I know how to section it beautifully
• an infusion of lots of new fresh groceries once I got home from traveling
• check out in the photo my colleague’s pastel set! It’s not mine, but it’s so awesome, I still love that it exists!
• green tree trunks in the snow make me feel like spring is coming
• Mary Baker Eddy’s incredible contribution and how it betters my life everyday
• that I redeemed myself with recent cribbage wins, having great hands, squeaking over the finish line by pegging out, coming from behind and winning, no longer in the dust on our cumulative, ongoing score.
• our youngest home for spring break resting up
• lurking gorillas
• we finally got our mortgage refinanced. Alleluia! Thank you God.
• walking at the mall in winter, although a bit thwarted in this by snowstorms, it is fun when we get there to do it
• beautiful amaryllises for church all winter long (see photo delivering one in the car in snow)
• faithfulness to the Whole30 and the feelings of food freedom I am experiencing as a result. Huge blessing!
• freezing soup for leftovers in glass jars
• reflective skyscrapers and marble halls
• Dr. Seuss artwork
• working toward complete consecration feels good
• the fact that when I really decide to do something I actually do it (blogging everyday for almost a decade, etc)
• I have a hairstyle I enjoy that I don’t second guess and that it is inexpensive
• that tree is still thriving even though it is so root bound! Inspiring tenacity!
• that I do not drink alcohol and neither does my husband
• new opportunities, new clients, new shows, new recipes, new ideas, new techniques, new blog readers, new hopes
• good timing is always helpful and appreciated
• that I am able to do what I do
• camp cots and sleeping bags
• State capitals, the work that goes on there, as well as each and every devoted civil servant
• unabashed squirrels
• that I’m being paid to teach abstract art to wonderful high school students at the homeschooling cooperative
• that I get to give my talk on Abstract Art to the Connecticut Pastel Society
• singing harmony
• wrought iron fences
• talking to daughters on speaker phone
• jumping rope
• old live oak trees with branches that hang low
• prayer requests
• a Saturday morning in my jammies until noon
• talking on the phone unwired while driving and how fast it makes a long trip go
• spectacular sunsets
• seeing lightening outside of the airplane windows like fireworks but better
• HOV lane to ourselves during rush hour coming out of Houston; a miracle like the parting of the Red Sea
• my husband reading aloud to me
• that I subscribed to Libro.fm instead of Audible.com –it supports local independent bookstore instead of Amazon.
• cleaning house, scrubbing down, freshening up
• claiming dominion
• cancelations for snow
• anchovies (who would have ever thunk?)
• that God is the master of every situation
• Instagram for following abstract artists, ceramics people, and Whole30 recipe bloggers
• fitness apps
• fish
• white pens
• that snow melt is fulling our reservoirs to capacity
• spot lighting
• well marked lanes on highways, especially in the rain
• yummy leftovers in the fridge
• the privilege and duty to try to reflect the warmth, radiance, and purity of Soul
• watercolor crayons
• gesso
• not discussing gossip
• kids respectfully walking out to protest gun violence
• my book club and knitting group
• grapefruit
• the unfolding of wisdom
• that divine Love has no variableness
• kites
• the return of bird song
• that I spotted our first spring robin
• that my sister will visit this summer
• that our oldest daughter is dating someone nice
• early morning light on flowers on our table
• advance reader’s copies of books
• Words with Friends game on my phone and that I’m getting better at it
• soon it is time to force forsythia branches
• umami
• jubilee

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