Year 2/Day 103

I haven't been able to hear out of my right ear for about 10 days. This is the same ear that my sister B can't hear out of, so I was worried that I was permanently losing my hearing. I'm grateful that it was just wax build-up. My ear is really tender from the doctor abusing it, and my hearing isn't back to full strength, but it's much better than it was.

Year 2/Day 102

Even though I hadn't used them in years, I knew exactly where the ear drops were--on my shelf. I remembered the bottle had a green cap. The bottle was where I thought, but it didn't contain drops for the year. It was a remedy for another kind of problem. I'm so grateful I checked the label. No telling what damage that stuff would have done to my ears.

Year 2/Day 101

M has been wanting to shave her legs all winter, and finally tonight I talked her through her first leg-shaving experience. It was bitter sweet. I'm amazed by the young woman she is becoming, but stunned, too, and keenly aware that we keep passing through stages we'll never be able to revisit. Maybe the reason I feel stunned is that you don't know ahead of time. You don't know, for example, that the last time your child holds your hand is the last time. C didn't announce it. It was simply that one day he held my hand and then he stopped. Will I ever fully accept that this rapid passing of time isn't the exception but the rule? Right, gratitude. I'm getting there. I'm grateful that M still lets me in, not on everything but on some things. And when she does, my heart swells and all's right with the world.

Year 2/Day 100

Whenever I really need to focus, I get out the serious tools--the big therapy ball, which I sit on, and the online egg timer Lois found. I'm grateful I know what works for me. I made great progress today.

On another note, coming home from the barn last night, M said, "TC has healed me," and then explained how he's basically a better fit for her than Rocco was. So, while I was sad to have to give up leasing Rocco, it now all seems for the best. I'm grateful M didn't give up on her riding, and that the barn experience is so much less stressful now.

Year 2/Day 99

It must run in the family: We don't much like to shop. (Except maybe my DH. He's the best shopper of the lot.) Anyway, today M and I met up with my old friend Diane and her daughter and we shopped. I'm grateful M found a dress that she loves and I like and that it was low stress and even fun, thanks to our friends. If only we'd found a dress for me. That's next on the list. . .

Year 2/Day 98

They've been planning it for weeks--M and Emma and Ian. Lily is--was, actually--Emma's cat. She died over the winter and Emma's mom kindly kept her in the freezer until the ground thawed and the kids could give her a proper funeral and burial. That's what they've been planning, and today was the day. At M's request, I baked bread and she made cookies. There was music, carefully chosen, and oral tributes to Lily ("She was a good cat"), who was lovingly laid out by Emma's dad in a wine crate. I'm grateful the kids know how to come together to mourn the death of a well-loved pet and celebrate her life.

Year 2/Day 97

I know facebook isn't for everyone but I've really been enjoying it, partly because people bring things to the table (as it were) that I wouldn't find on my own. A great example is this video of 200 people doing a choreographed dance to the Sound of Music posted by my friend Ann. I'm grateful because it brought four minutes of joy to my day.

Year 2/Day 96

Unemployment hit 13.4% in Michigan. I'm grateful my DH has a job and that I still have some work.

Year 2/Day 95

Okay, so I complained about this at first, but now I'm seeing it as something to be grateful for: Our school hosted a band banquet. The turnout was greater than expected so the logistics were dicey; there weren't enough chairs or even enough food, for that matter. Hence my complaining-that-bordered-on-whining. But I'm grateful that the kids wanted to attend and the parents are involved enough to bring them. It's good to be part of a thriving, vibrant school community. Plus, my DH was braving the cold rain at a lacrosse game--double header--and I was grateful just to be warm and dry!

Year 2/Day 94

Starting a novel is the worst. The characters seem flat and "tinny," the writing itself seems amateurish, and self-doubt is the order of the day, along with the question "why try?" But still I peck away at it, feeling mostly just masochistic. I'm grateful that today, I finally started to connect with my characters. And maybe what feels like masochism is actually being faithful to the call.

Year 2/Day 93

In preparation for the bridal shower for Katie, we had the tan rug in the living room cleaned. I'm grateful that today when Doggers had to throw up, she did it on a different rug.

Year 2/Day 92

I have a lot of spring cleaning to do; I'm grateful it was a cloudy, rainy morning because it made it easier to stay inside and clean. By the time the sun arrived at noon, I had made a big dent in my to-do list and felt just fine about taking doggers for a walk.

Year 2/Day 91

J. is a first-grader who I mentor through the Kids Hope program and who a few weeks ago lost his mother suddenly. We've only been together since October and hadn't really bonded. Today when I pulled out a book to read, I asked him if he wanted to sit in my lap, fully expecting he wouldn't. I'm grateful he did. He squirmed a little, like he was trying to figure out how we were supposed to fit together but eventually settled in and even figured out how to play with my hair while he listened.

Year 2/Day 90

My kids' school has something called a CUP INDEX, which suddenly today struck me as hilarious. I don't know how they can refer to it with a straight face, but apparently everyone does. Sorry to be ribald but really, what are we supposed to think it is? I'm grateful for the laugh.

(College/University/Professional Index is what the acronym stands for, and it probably works just fine for anyone who has never had a son who plays sports.)

Year 2/Day 89

While visiting our fair city, my DH's parents stayed in the retirement community they plan to move to soon. They had their unit all picked out and, because my own father sometimes comments that if he had it to do all over again he'd choose a larger apartment, I kept hoping my inlaws would upgrade to a larger model. As luck would have it, they stayed in a unit that's a replica of the one they had signed up for and realized it was a little cramped. I'm grateful they upgraded; I'm pretty sure they'll be happier as a result.

Also, both sets of parents had Easter dinner here. I'm grateful all four of our parents are relatively healthy and still don't mind hanging out with us. (It's really the grandkids they come to see, but I can live with that.)

Year 2/Day 88

While waiting for C to get done at the rink, I thought to turn on the radio. I'm grateful there was a rebroadcast of This American Life's "Mistakes Were Made" episode. Not a bad way to kill time some time.

Year 2/Day 87

While watching Marley and Me, C commented that he feels his dad has been around "a lot" during his growing up years, which made me think about how and why that has been possible. Certainly, we made some choices that helped, but part of it is where we live. Most people here make similar choices, living close to work and close to family, and often putting a priority on family time. When we moved to this town, I grew weary of hearing people say, "it's a great place to raise a family." But 16 years later, I have to concede they are right. I'm grateful I live in a place that aligns with our values.

Year 2/Day 86

Sunshine, old friends, a son and a daughter who are good sports, TWO new episodes of The Office! Ah, the simple pleasures in life--I'm grateful for them all.

Year 2/Day 85

One thing I've learned: A little structure is not a bad thing, especially when it comes in the middle of a completely unstructured week. I'm grateful my friend L held a block of time for parallel working (similar to parallel play, but in theory, we make money) today.

Year 2/Day 84

Spring break can be a long, drawn out affair since so many of our friends have fled to warmer climates, but today M found five friends who were still in town and they all went to the pool. C did, too. I'm grateful they could have a good time without the help of technology. (Well, M did use it to issue invitations but I'm down with that.)

Year 2/Day 83

Grateful the Wings won; looks like MSU won't. "No fun for Tom."

Year 2/Day 82

A few years ago, my friend M. made an incredible chicken noodle soup for us. I'm grateful she shared the recipe and that my DH was willing to deal with the big, fat, raw chicken today. Raw meat disgusts me, but that big fat chicken is what makes the soup good. Also thyme.

Year 2/Day 81

It was one of those days that didn't look like it was going to be busy, but then turned out to be--groceries, yard work, laundry, b-day shopping, cake-baking and decorating. I'm grateful I had the good sense to grab the dog and take her for a walk right after breakfast. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have gotten one in. I'm also grateful we were finally able to celebrate B's birthday as a family. I think the birthday boy liked it!

Year 2/Day 80

I'm gladly throwing a shower for my nephew's future bride in a few weeks and today J said she'd buy the presents for the winners of the games and ship them. I'm grateful for her support from afar.

Year 2/Day 79

We thought C's lacrosse game was going to be right during dinner tonight, and were feeling a little disappointed since today is B's birthday. I'm grateful game time was at 5:00 instead. Yes, we ended up eating dinner very late, but we were still able to pull off cooking a nice meal together. Happy brithday, Bud!

Year 2/Day 78

The distributed team I've been a part of for the past three months gave its final presentation yesterday and today was our final conference call. I'm grateful to have been part of a team whose members liked and respected each other. We were able to play to our strengths and I think that was a big reason we were able to produce quality work together.