Day 10 gratitude.

Technology －

my laptop, the worldwidenets, social networking &

yes, an occasional day off from it all. :)

Day 9 gratitude.

"When you arise in the morning, think of

what a precious privilege it is to be alive －

to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."

－ Marcus Aurelius Antonius －

Life is good!! :)

Day 8 gratitude.

Two-day workweek!! :)

Day 7 gratitude.

Sunday at the park with fam.

Zilker. Bird-feeding & playscape-climbing.

No philosophizing. Such fun.

Day 6 gratitude.

IKEA.

I likea ikea.

Day 5 gratitude.

All the non-monetary ways my life is

rich beyond belief －

with health, family, friends, work, play,

creativity, spirituality, connection, freedom.

Happy Friday!!

Day 4 gratitude.

Falling asleep to the blustery ruckus of a thunderstorm.

Bonus: It's over by morning, & has delivered

a beautiful snap of autumnal weather. True story.

Day 3 gratitude.

My girlfriends －

generous, funny, smart, understanding &

sooo there for me.

Love you, grrlz!!

Day 2 gratitude.

My husband －

sweet, hilarious, brilliant, giving &

OMG, *patient.*

Love you, Honey.

Twelve-ish Days of Thanksgiving: Day 1 gratitude.

My very own money in my very own bank account.

[OK, not as much as above, but

the feeling of relief is similar.

Taxing October.]

monday midnight gratitudes.

1. the paychecks which will, without doubt, show up so, so soon.

2. the inheritance which will, with hope, show up sometime soon.

3. an awesome weekend full of good food, good shopping, the best company & utter hilarity.

4. doing good work for genuinely great clients.

5. a financial advisor who gets me.

6. healthy family, healthy me.

7. autumnal weather, as long as it lasts.

8. a few upcoming free weekends.

9. forty years of Sesame Street.

10. a whole month all about giving thanks.

give.

november ... when we Central Texans finally experience our weeklong autumn ...

"... its tone is mellower, its colours are richer, and it is tinged with a little sorrow.

Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor the power of summer,

but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age.

It knows the limitations of life and is content."

－ Lin Yutang －

give a little.

give of yourself.

give an hour of undivided attention to your child.

give unconditional love.

give something old to someone new.

give laughter.

give it a rest.

give something homemade to someone who can use a lift.

give without expecting anything back.

give your heart to someone.

give yourself a break.

give a lot.

give thanks.

calling all souls.

Well, I'm a little late for All Souls' Day, but I feel fairly sure they don't mind. They meaning the souls I love who no longer have companion bodies in which to wander about, holding hands, giving hugs, sharing meals, talking, laughing, connecting. The souls whose earthly presence I deeply miss, but whose ethereal presence I believe continues.

Call them what you like － ghosts, angels, spirits. Again, I don't think they care. They no longer sweat the small stuff, even if they were world-class small-stuff-sweat-ers during their lives. I envision them as the ultimate big-picture people now － seeing, knowing, understanding it all at last, they watch, they listen, they support, they soothe, they offer guidance as they can.

My birthmom, Pat, who reminds me to be generous, to love animals, to laugh － and that I'm enough.

My Grandma Nelson, who reminds me to nurture, to converse, to whistle while I work － and that I'm special.

My Mamie, who reminds me to look good in order to feel better, to create for others － and that I can make a difference with even my smallest gestures.

My Pops, who reminds me to take lifelong learning seriously, but not so much myself － and that I'm embraced by love.

My dear friend Martha, who reminds me to be grateful for my family, to be there for my friends － and that I'm brilliant and beautiful, too.

They can't hold my actual hand anymore. But they hold my thoughts, my best self, and a piece of my heart forever.

celebrate the everyday － november.

It's November, 2009. How will you celebrate being a woman?

November 2 － Full moon [the Beaver Moon]
November 7 － Sadie Hawkins Day
November 13 － World Kindness Day
November 15 － I Love to Write Day, America Recycles Day
November 20 － Universal Children's Day
November 21 － National Adoption Day, World Hello Day
November 24 － Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day
November 25 － International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
November 27 － National Day of Listening

Remember, where there is connection, there is power.
Where there is power, there is hope for change. For ourselves, and for our world.
We are all connected. We are all powerful.

Until my next post, be well, be happy & be hopeful.