Hello to anyone still reading this neglected website,
No posts tonight of pieces I've written and published elsewhere. Just my fingers talking for a few minutes.
Yesterday the bottom panels of my Honda suddenly deteriorated, so I've spent the last couple of days even more isolated than usual. No trips to town to the coffee shop or library. Tomorrow I'll drive it--slowly and carefully--to the repair shop and see what they can do. While I'm waiting for word from the shop, I'll walk around town, visiting the coffee shop, buying a few groceries, and maybe strolling to the public library. It will be good to get out of the house and see some human beings.
I'm grateful for that.
About six months ago, I began saying a prayer of gratitude every morning. I've forgotten a few times, but mostly I remember. It's pretty informal--I'm drinking coffee and often sitting on the porch, watching an occasional deer lope across the yard--but running through the things I'm grateful for--the fact that I have another day on this earth, my kids and grandkids, my siblings and other family members, my friends, and the dead I loved and love--makes a difference most days. It takes me out of myself, which is so often a fine thing, and reminds me that the greatest adventure in the world is just being born and living on planet earth.
If that sounds maudlin or overly-sentimental, so be it. Even in times of trouble and hard times, I'm glad to be a part of this dance of life.
I guess what I want to say tonight is that I hope the same is true for you. Even if you're in the pit of despair, I hope you can find something to be grateful for, some small thing that lifts your heart. If we look for those things, if we look really hard, we can find them.
Today I was writing a piece for a newspaper about G.K. Chesterton. I didn't include this particular quote, though I may yet, but it describes how I feel sometimes: "I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."
"Happiness doubled by wonder:" what a wonderful way to make our journey in this world.
Sleep well, and thank you for listening.
No posts tonight of pieces I've written and published elsewhere. Just my fingers talking for a few minutes.
Yesterday the bottom panels of my Honda suddenly deteriorated, so I've spent the last couple of days even more isolated than usual. No trips to town to the coffee shop or library. Tomorrow I'll drive it--slowly and carefully--to the repair shop and see what they can do. While I'm waiting for word from the shop, I'll walk around town, visiting the coffee shop, buying a few groceries, and maybe strolling to the public library. It will be good to get out of the house and see some human beings.
I'm grateful for that.
About six months ago, I began saying a prayer of gratitude every morning. I've forgotten a few times, but mostly I remember. It's pretty informal--I'm drinking coffee and often sitting on the porch, watching an occasional deer lope across the yard--but running through the things I'm grateful for--the fact that I have another day on this earth, my kids and grandkids, my siblings and other family members, my friends, and the dead I loved and love--makes a difference most days. It takes me out of myself, which is so often a fine thing, and reminds me that the greatest adventure in the world is just being born and living on planet earth.
If that sounds maudlin or overly-sentimental, so be it. Even in times of trouble and hard times, I'm glad to be a part of this dance of life.
I guess what I want to say tonight is that I hope the same is true for you. Even if you're in the pit of despair, I hope you can find something to be grateful for, some small thing that lifts your heart. If we look for those things, if we look really hard, we can find them.
Today I was writing a piece for a newspaper about G.K. Chesterton. I didn't include this particular quote, though I may yet, but it describes how I feel sometimes: "I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."
"Happiness doubled by wonder:" what a wonderful way to make our journey in this world.
Sleep well, and thank you for listening.