352, 353, 354

352: I'm grateful for the 120 women who showed up for L's grassroots effort, Women's Volunteer Day. I wish that anyone--politicians or otherwise--who sneers at efforts like this could have been there to see for themselves how much difference they can make.

353: My editor, with whom I've worked steadily since 2001, is taking a job at another house. When you're working with an editor on a book and she leaves, your book is considered "widowed"--that is, no one will ever love and nurture that book as much as the editor who bought it. While Mary Margaret will now be widowed, I'm grateful that my editor and I weren't in the middle of any book projects. The last MM book is already in galley form, so for all intents and purposes, our work on it is finished.

354: C's hockey team had a tournament this weekend. Most of the other teams were travel teams (aka "really good") and they played aggressively, hitting often and hard. I'm grateful that the coach didn't play the freshmen very often; I was more than a little concerned about my son's welfare against 11th graders who were 6'2" and weighed 200 lbs!

350

Every week we write out a menu plan. Exceptionally crazy days--the days on which two out of four of us are going in separate directions close to dinnertime--are "FFS" days. FFS=Fend For Self. Today was an FFS day and C and I were left to our own devices. It was a lovely, warm fall day here, so we strolled down to Froggy's for a burger, and we talked about the pros and cons of choosing a college close by (always close to a home cooked meal) versus far away (adventure!). I'm grateful for FFS days. I never look forward to them, but they do change things up in a good way.

349

Hard to believe, I know, but I'm grateful for the Bad Puppy, who, regardless of my mood, always greets me with a smile, who is willing--nay, eager--to take a walk when no other family member is, who wants to snuggle when no other family member does, who keeps me company (for better or for worse) during the day. She may not be the sharpest tool in the drawer, but she is loyal, and that's worth quite a lot. (Maisy is on the left--the one in the red bark collar. Thanks to Bev for the photo.)

348

I'm helping my friend L line up people willing to serve breakfast to Women's Volunteer Day volunteers on Thursday. I'm grateful for people who, when asked, "Will you?" say simply, "Yes, what time do I need to be there?"

345, 346, 347

345: M went to a "lock in" with her church youth group, which left C alone with--da-da-da-dummmmmm--just the 'rents. He was a good sport about it. We went to Russ's and then watched "21", which is kind of like a junior "Ocean's Eleven," only not quite the same caliber. I'm grateful we had the chance to hang just with him for an evening. I know those days are numbered.

346: I was just getting back from a walk this afternoon when my friend A texted me: "Up 4 a stroll?" "On my way," I texted back. We walked just a few blocks and then sat down under a huge tree right outside Dimnent, where someone was practicing the organ. We chatted about kids, work, blogs, health, politics, and an upcoming visit from her friends who live in London. I'm grateful for this slice of time for us to reconnect and cherish our friendship.

347: At Think Hope last spring (a fundraiser at our church, the proceeds of which go to various local agencies), we were the highest bidder on 15 hours of carpentry. Today the men arrived, tools in hand, and they performed a miracle on the back porch: They planed the windows so they actually close without any shoulder or hip action. And, as if one miracle was not enough for one day, they did the same thing to the two doors. I'm grateful for their skill--and I can't for the life of me figure out why we lived with those windows and doors the way they were for 16 years.

Also: I'm grateful Geoff and Katie found each other and that both of them were smart enough to recognize a good thing when they saw it. They got engaged yesterday!

344

I'd packed up my computer after working in the library and I was just waiting for L and P to finish up their conversation so we could embark on my favorite part of the day--lunch! When they were done, I picked up my computer case--which, come to find out, I hadn't zipped. My computer slipped out and fell to the floor. I can tell you, my heart is full of gratitude that my computer is working. That's one headache I don't need right now. Or ever, actually.

342, 343

342: Cold salmon topped with pesto, tomato, red pepper, and fresh rosemary; roasted butterball potatoes roasted with garlic, rosemary, and thyme--I'm grateful for leftovers!

343: "Democracy is not average people selecting average leaders. It is average people with the wisdom to select the best prepared." So writes conservative columnist David Brooks. I'm grateful for any thoughtful political analysis right now, and he has been providing it. Thanks, David.

341

In this season of truth-stretching on the part of the nation's candidates for president and vice president, I'm grateful for FactCheck.org, "a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics." Vote however you will, but please don't accept something as truth just because a candidate said it.

340

Somewhere in the midst of all my enthusiastic pre-party cleaning, I swept my keys clean away. For 24 hours, they were MIA. I'm grateful I found them. I was starting to think I'd thrown them away in the trash. (There is precedence; I was threw away a birthday present and had to pick through the garbage bag to retrieve it.)

339

Gratitude is a slippery sucker. At the end of a day like today--when B safely drove six hours in the rain for an important meeting--and that meeting went well--when one of my clients finally returned my call, when Bev showed up on my doorstep and helped with flowers and tablecloths, when a party L and I co-hosted was a success--some obvious choices present themselves. And of course I'm grateful for all those things. However, upon another few minutes of reflection, I realized that what I'm most grateful for on this busy, stressful day is bed! As I say to B almost every night, as I adjust my pillow, I love bed.

337 & 338

337: B's parents are visiting in preparation for their move to the area. I'm grateful that the people at their new community are reaching out to Mom and Dad. Knowing there are friendly folks on the other end of the move will make the transition much easier for them.

338: Yesterday, a prof at Hope called and asked me to be part of a panel for her "Inspiration vs. Perspiration" class today. "You don't need to do any preparation," she said. "Just show up, talk about your creative process and answer questions." I took her at her word. I'm grateful that it went well--at least, I think it went well. A jazz musician and composer and a fine artist made up the rest of the panel, and I enjoyed hearing about their processes much more than talking about my own.

336

I'm a piler. I pile papers, which is actually a more effective work strategy than you'd think. Pilers know where things are--as long as no one else touches their piles! But every once in a while, like today, a paper gets mislaid (notice the use of the passive voice), or finds its way into a file that's related to an entirely different project. I spent a good hour going through every stack, every file, every bankers box (temporary filing), every book bag (mobile filing, for when I want to work outside or at the library), under the couch, EVERYWHERE looking for that paper that's critical to my project. No dice. I'm grateful that my DH came home, realized I was a damsel in distress, asked what the paper looked like, and after just a few minutes of riding around on his white steed, found it! He is my knight in shining armor! My hero! My split apart! My stud bucket! And definitely my better half.

335

Took M out to the barn today to ride and noticed--again--how much progress she's made. She has a solid seat now (i.e., good balance) and can get Rocco to cooperate most of the time. And she's a lot more confident and self-assured. I'm grateful she's coming into her own as a rider and as a person. Daily I delight in her as I catch glimpses of the child she was and the young woman she is becoming.

334

I guess the theme for the weekend is "abundance." Yesterday, it was abundant time. Today it's abundant fresh fruits and vegetables I'm grateful for. Fresh peaches, raspberries, and watermelon, fresh green beans, fresh corn on the cob! And Mom and Dad eating with us on the back porch, where the living was easy--or so it seemed for a few short hours.

333

I'm grateful for an abundance of time today--time to play an early morning game of tennis with friends, time to meander through the farmer's market, time to wash my chandelier (a once-every-five-years job), time to take M to the barn, time to have happy hour on the back porch with my DH and Dave (a last-minute invite), time to cook a wonderful dinner, and time to watch a movie. For once, it felt like there was time sufficient.

I'm also grateful for C, who went willingly to back to the farmer's market to buy beans and tomatoes, and came back with all that PLUS fresh raspberries, which he knows I love. "I thought they would be good in a fruit salad for tomorrow night when Grandpa and Grandma come," he said. And that is how a fruit salad got added to the menu plan!

332

Never to be outdone by an inlaw (that would be me), my BIL Jon thought long and hard about how he could create a blog cooler and more interesting than mine, so he planned this elaborate border to border bike trip. If you ask me, it's a flimsy premise for a blog (compared to gratitude) but whatever. I'm grateful another family member has started a blog. The pressure was killing me.

Work for change, pray for peace

Dear Ms. Palin,

I don't want to fight. I just want to get to the top of the mountain.

331

The traffic around the kids' school is crazy at pick-up time, so I'm always extra careful when I'm on carpool duty. Cars park on both sides of the narrow street, and that leaves a space wide enough for only one car. It also diminishes visibility when you're exiting the parking lot. I was coasting out of the lot into that lane when one of those huge sewer-cleaning trucks came barreling through, seemingly from out of nowhere. I'm grateful my foot found the brake, just in time.

330

C has been playing hockey for three years now, but this year was the first year he's had to try out for a team. The anxiety about this was doubled by the fact that somehow we completely missed the normal tryout date in May, consequently, he was the only person who still had to try out for the team this week. I'm grateful that he made the team. Even though it makes our schedule kind of crazy at times, he's so much happier when he's playing hockey. As he says, "hockey gives me something to live for during the school year." Nothing else will do, and happily, nothing else has to.

329

I'm grateful to be almost back to 100 percent, after a week of battling some upper respiratory thing. I realize I lost some ground here at Daily Bread; I'm going to leave it lost and just pick up from here. Gratitude should never be a burden!