gratitude [a heart filled with wonder]

For friendships forged & re-forged through blogs & e-mails ...
It blows my mind that through something so manmade & intangible as the internet, people can speak to me & my heart, can connect to me with where I’m at & I to them.

For expressions of love, for prayers offered by those I’ve never met. I’m in wonder of it all.
Blessed doesn’t even begin to cover it.
My cup overflows & floods around me. May its rivulets, its streams bless others.
Across continents, state lines, though I’ve never seen some of your faces, we have here a little community that I have come to love.
For you my friends, I offer most humble thanks.
I’m certain I don’t deserve you, but are glad that you stop by all the same.
[can you imagine what it’d be like if we all got in the same room??]

For a job that challenges & stretches me, meets my financial needs, the kindest (& also most challenging) manager I could hope for, & for the space & freedom to embark upon my creative pursuits outside of that.

For my friends: for laughter & tears & silent presence over coffee, sushi, adult beverages, phone lines, or nothing at all.
I love you.

For my amazing family: for understanding, for trusting, for holding me up;
For offering arms & shoulders when I cry, for making me laugh till it hurts

For good books, amazing blogs, & music that begs to be cranked up.

For the miracle of improved health & increased energy.

For sunrises, sunsets, summer days & falling leaves.
For the ocean air, a crisp breeze, & a warm home to come to at the end of the day.
The tea I drink, the food I eat, listening the thrum of rain in the dark from the warmth of my bed.
For the unexpected bloom defiantly piercing through the sidewalk crack.
For fleece pajamas, red wine, the Starbucks drive-through, and the color green.
For mountains & birdsong, for the moon, & the neighborhood kids that wave as I go by.
For fresh seasonal vegetables, gluten-free vegan cupcakes, Castelvetrano olives, organic coconut milk ice cream, Kombucha & the infinitely amazing local Food Co-op that makes it all possible.
For Larabars, long weekends, hot baths, & sand between my toes.

For love in all its manifestations.

And to Elohim, God on High
for Yahweh
Emmanuel [God with us] …
I don’t even know where to start.
It all began with Your redeeming work on wooden crossbeams
& your work in me continues
through your Body the Church, through Your own divine & mysterious means.
You’ve used the most unexpected channels, people, & circumstances to draw me deeper into Your heart
You’ve gently led me, allowed me glimpses as Your mysteries unfurl & unfold before me,
within me;
I’m in wonder that You care for someone as small as me,
That you choose us as varied & imperfect as we are to accomplish a divine purpose.
I’m in wonder. I am thankful.
I offer you an open heart & my open hands.