blessings

50 Things For Which I’m Thankful

Today I am grateful for:

  1. My bed with firm mattress
  2. My home
  3. In safe, quiet countryside
  4. In a relatively safe nation
  5. Running water
  6. Plumbing
  7. Hot water
  8. And the fuel to make it hot
  9. An in-door shower
  10. Clean towels
  11. Antibiotics
  12. A body that is designed to heal
  13. And still can
  14. Eye-sight
  15. God who provides everything
  16. My husband
  17. My parents
  18. Peeps in Heaven who pray for us
  19. My students
  20. My piano
  21. Music
  22. Capacity to play piano
  23. Capacity to teach
  24. Opportunity to teach
  25. Piano students’ parents who champion & companion their children
  26. Ears to hear
  27. Curiosity
  28. Courage
  29. Hope
  30. Capacity to seek & find Beauty
  31. Faith in Christ
  32. Intimacy w/ Christ
  33. Spirit’s Presence, especially in suffering
  34. Desire to learn
  35. Desire to heal
  36. Desire to grow
  37. My friends & family, eps those who encourage me in healing/ growing
  38. Tear ducts
  39. Lubrication for eyes when tears aren’t enough
  40. Seasons
  41. Time
  42. Space
  43. Pens and paper
  44. Laptops and phones
  45. Silence
  46. Solitude
  47. Color; today: esp blues & greens
  48. Meaningful work
  49. “Free”-time
  50. Desire to write
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A Slew of Charms & Luck Galore

Cliffs of Moher

Did you know the English language has words galore of Irish origin?  (Galore being one of them; so is slew.)  Besides enriching our vocabulary, Ireland has contributed immensely to our culture in America.  Here’s a few of my favorite things from the Emerald Isle:

  1. Baileys Irish Cream
  2. Irish coffee with Baileys
  3. pubs
  4. “Oh Danny Boy”
  5. green, green landscapes, green that seems lit from within
  6. the name Hooley
  7. the word hooligan
  8. irrepressible good humor
  9. C. S. Lewis
  10. W. B. Yeats
  11. James Joyce
  12. Enya
  13. shamrocks
  14. St. Patrick
  15. Waterford crystal
  16. Donegal tweed
  17. fishermen’s sweaters
  18. wild land/seascapes and appreciation for the wild
  19. quirky proverbs
  20. and beautiful blessings

On this St. Patrick’s Day, may God bless the Irish, and

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

And rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

(An Old Irish Blessing)

1,000 Thanks: First 155

  1. 0305031343aLife,
  2. love
  3. home,
  4. belonging,
  5. safety,
  6. joy,
  7. truth,
  8. The Eucharist,
  9. peace,
  10. justice,
  11. mercy,
  12. beauty,
  13. music,
  14. art,
  15. books,
  16. coffee,
  17. cats,
  18. good food,
  19. trees,
  20. flowers,
  21. birds,
  22. the ocean,
  23. the whole earth,
  24. the universe!,
  25. seasons,
  26. last night’s moon,
  27. blue skies,
  28. breathable air,
  29. drinkable water,
  30. hot water for showers,
  31. all the ways we can make music
  32. and share music,
  33. all the ways we can communicate,
  34. friendship,
  35. laughter,
  36. silence,
  37. quiet,
  38. tranquility,
  39. prayer,
  40. education,
  41. travel,
  42. freedom,
  43. permanence
  44. and change,
  45. passages,
  46. time
  47. and eternity,
  48. space
  49. and transcendence,
  50. being
  51. and doing,
  52. compatibility,
  53. male
  54. and female,
  55. adult
  56. and child,
  57. dancing,
  58. bees,
  59. sweet things,
  60. savory things,
  61. all flavors,
  62. plants
  63. especially quirky ones life succulents,
  64. roses,
  65. iris,
  66. lilies,
  67. respect,
  68. wisdom,
  69. self-control,
  70. help especially when needed,
  71. courage,
  72. pets,
  73. wildlife
  74. especially hawks
  75. whales
  76. dolphins,
  77. ability to choose a good attitude,
  78. health,
  79. healing,
  80. a good immune system,
  81. my bed,
  82. The Bible,
  83. light,
  84. warmth,
  85. Mass,
  86. the capacity to worship my Creator
  87. and to adore my Savior-Lord,
  88. fellowship with Catholics and other Christian believers,
  89. the gift of faith,
  90. the conviction of the sanctity of life,
  91. empathy,
  92. forgiveness,
  93. understanding,
  94. gentleness,
  95. strength,
  96. perseverance,
  97. patience,
  98. gratitude!,
  99. all that is Good,
  100. God’s amazing Grace
  101. and ability to turn all things for Good,
  102. rain
  103. and rainbows,
  104. storms,
  105. hope,
  106. far-seeing,
  107. details
  108. and small things,
  109. grandeur,
  110. paradox
  111. and interesting juxtapositions,
  112. pain and suffering that can be redeemed into intimacy with Christ,
  113. Christ’s resurrection
  114. and ours to come,
  115. beginnings,
  116. endings,
  117. sweetly resolvable dissonance,
  118. resolutions,
  119. II7 chords,
  120. smiles,
  121. tears,
  122. skin,
  123. babies,
  124. lovers,
  125. fertility,
  126. barren-ness that can yet be hospitable to The Spirit,
  127. deserts,
  128. mountain-tops
  129. and valleys
  130. and pastures
  131. and meadows,
  132. gardens of all kinds and sizes,
  133. quilts,
  134. laptops,
  135. notebooks,
  136. pens,
  137. paper,
  138. texture,
  139. smells,
  140. color,
  141. color upon color,
  142. seemingly infinite gradations of hue,
  143. transparency
  144. and opaqueness,
  145. goldfinches,
  146. purple thistle,
  147. candles,
  148. incense,
  149. fire,
  150. purpose,
  151. spontaneity,
  152. ritual,
  153. good habits,
  154. memory,
  155. a stretchable heart.