I could tell from the get-go that March would be a rough month, and as a result, decided that a Gratitude Journal - this time kept between Ash Wednesday and Easter as part of my Lenten journey - might help me stay strong and faithful and most importantly, grateful for the simple gifts in my life.
Here it is. (My favorites are days 2, 3, 6, 8, 14, 17, 19, 21, 26, 30, 32, 36, 37, and 43.)
March 5th, Day 1: I’m grateful Tom stopped at Panera on his way home so that I wouldn’t have to cook dinner.
March 6th, Day 2: I’m grateful for the hour Hallie spends dancing each Thursday afternoon, because while she dances, I have the opportunity to talk and laugh with five lovely women who started out as mothers of Hallie’s friends and eventually became friends of mine.
March 7th, Day 3: I’m grateful Hallie wanted to wander through the jewelry department at Target, because if she hadn’t – or if I’d rushed her around the jewelry and straight to the cashier – I wouldn’t have stumbled upon the Catching Fire combo pack that included a bonus features DVD. And if I hadn’t stumbled upon the Catching Fire combo pack that included a bonus features DVD, I would have gone home with plain old Catching Fire without a bonus features DVD. That would have been so sad…
March 8th, Day 4: I’m grateful the kids and I had the opportunity to have lunch and then play/talk with wonderful friends who we don’t see nearly often enough.
March 9th, Day 5: I’m grateful we didn’t schedule anything of importance for this particular Sunday, as all four of us struggled with the time change.
March 10th, Day 6: I’m grateful for the comradery shared between little boys who, despite having never met one another, find themselves brought together by a common interest.
March 11th, Day 7: I’m grateful for a rare day spent with Tom and the kids, enjoying each other’s company and finally exploring some of what downtown Houston has to offer.
March 12th, Day 8: I’m grateful Will’s oral surgery went smoothly, that anesthesia doesn’t make him nauseous, that thus far I've been able to manage his pain, and that he wasn’t severely injured when he dressed Hallie up in his Tae Kwon Do sparring gear and let her punch him in the face. For fun.
March 13th, Day 9: I’m grateful for a smooth transition back to a regular schedule – though one that included a bit more pain medication than most days – after Will’s surgery.
March 14th, Day 10: I’m grateful my mom arrived safely (and on time) from Wisconsin for her spring break visit!
March 15th, Day 11: I’m grateful for a relaxing day spent shopping with my mom, and for the rain that thinned out the crowds at the outdoor outlet mall.
March 16th, Day 12: I’m grateful for the 20-minute catnap I grabbed during an afternoon showing of Mr. Peabody and Sherman – I needed a little extra sleep!
March 17th, Day 13: I’m grateful for the full tank of gas in my car, which allowed me to drive back and forth from Hallie’s school twice, back and forth from Lowe’s FOUR times, and from home to gymnastics to baseball to home to McDonald’s to home.
March 18th, Day 14: I’m grateful that my mom and I FINALLY finished installing the knobs and handles on all of my kitchen and laundry room cabinets and drawers. I’m grateful we FINALLY finished sanding and painting my front door. And I’m grateful we FINALLY figured out how to reinstall the front door knob and deadbolt lock. Could have been a scary night…
March 19th, Day 15: I’m grateful that on my mom’s last day in town, instead of working on projects, we went shopping and out to lunch, played Clue with Will, made a birthday shirt for Hallie, and took the kids to Toys’R’Us and Spoons.
March 20th, Day 16: I’m grateful for my gym and my workout buddies, all of whom make me feel missed when I’m gone and welcome when I return.
March 21st, Day 17: I’m grateful for an evening away from my kiddos, because as much as I love them, they were DRIVING ME CRAZY. CAH. RAY. ZEE. And I’m grateful Tom willingly stayed home and kept the kiddos alive (because let’s be honest, while I was out the three of them only stayed alive and played Wii – no showering, no finishing homework, no reading bedtime stories) so I could go see Divergent on opening night!
March 22nd, Day 18: I’m grateful my hard-working husband joined me to tackle a few outdoor spring cleaning and yard improvement projects, thus cutting the time I would have spent on them by myself in half, and I’m grateful that Will and Hallie didn’t kill each other (they came close) while left to fend for themselves inside. (And by fend for themselves, I mean play, eat lunch, and play some more. It’s a tough life they lead.)
March 23rd, Day 19: I’m grateful for an interesting and relevant message at church this morning, and that the message prompted the beginning of the what I’m sure will be a long and happy relationship between Will and Hallie and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” musical.
March 24th, Day 20: I’m grateful we survived an insane evening of gymnastics, baseball, trading kids back and forth, and a much later than usual and consequently stressful dinner/bath time/bedtime hour.
March 25th, Day 21: I’m grateful a good friend’s challenging pregnancy came to an end this morning when she gave birth to a healthy baby boy!
March 26th, Day 22: I’m grateful for the “bonus” hour of time (today was an early release day at school) I had with Will before picking Hallie up from school.
March 27th, Day 23: I’m grateful for Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs. So, so grateful.
March 28th, Day 24: I’m grateful for the stunning storm – and the rain that came with it (our yard needed it) – that passed through town this evening, even if the severe weather meant we had to miss the outdoor activity we had planned to attend.
March 29th, Day 25: I’m grateful for the three young men – TAMU students participating in the Big Event (the university’s community-wide day of service) – who spent their Saturday morning and afternoon raking and bagging leaves and laying mulch in our yard, I’m grateful for the opportunity to host Big Event students at our home (for the third year in a row), and I’m grateful for the impact The Big Event has on our community.
March 30th, Day 26: I’m grateful for an absolutely lovely excursion with Will and Hallie this morning. Hallie walked close to three miles (in Mary Janes, none-the-less) and didn’t complain ONCE. It may have helped that we walked to and from the donut shop…
March 31st, Day 27: I’m grateful for early bedtimes, even if early bedtimes don’t translate to falling asleep early.
April 1st, Day 28: I’m grateful for the brief respite – from the painful pinched nerve in my back – I feel while I work out. The nerve hardly hurts at all while I exercise, but as soon as I cool down I feel like someone is stabbing in the back with a knife. I guess I’ll just have to spend the day at the gym…
April 2nd, Day 29: I’m grateful for good news for someone close to me who really needed a reason to “stay the course”.
April 3rd, Day 30: I’m grateful for the opportunity to press reset and start over – primarily as a parent – tomorrow morning.
April 4th, Day 31: I’m grateful to have just spent the most marvelous day with my Hallie. Yes, she and her brother bickered a bit this afternoon, but the time we spent together, just the two of us (until we picked up Will from school and again from dinnertime until bedtime), was perfect.
April 5th, Day 32: I’m grateful for a second pleasant day in a row spent with Hallie, and for whatever it was that adjusted her attitude, improved her mood, and opened her heart so that she could become the sweet, caring companion she’s been to me these last two days. I hope it lasts…
April 6th, Day 33: I’m grateful for those rare occasions when a “20-minute project” is actually a 20-minute project.
April 7th, Day 34: I’m grateful that I took the time yesterday afternoon – a Sunday afternoon, when all I really wanted to do was relax on the couch and catch up on the television shows saved in my DVR – to prep and cook a healthy meal for us to eat tonight, while on the run between Hallie’s gymnastics class and Will’s baseball game.
April 8th, Day 35: I’m grateful for the lovely ladies – parents, teachers, and administers – who coordinate and participate in the PTO at Will’s elementary school, and for the opportunity to join them as they make the school an even better place for children to learn and grow.
April 9th, Day 36: I’m grateful for the reality check experienced this evening by my sometimes over-confident little boy. I love his enthusiastic self-assuredness, but an occasional reminder that he’s not – and it’s alright that he’s not – the fastest/strongest/smartest will make him a more well-rounded, more accepting, gentler, and kinder young man.
April 10th, Day 37: I’m grateful for my girl. My sweet and spicy and now-five-years-old girl.
April 11th, Day 38: I’m grateful my in-laws made it to town safely, and that Hallie, when measured at her five-year-old Well Child exam, has finally reached Disney World height!
April 12th, Day 39: I’m grateful that Hallie’s pony cake and cupcakes turned out beautifully, and that for the first time in years, decorating one of my kids’ birthday cakes didn’t result in a carpal tunnel flare-up!
April 13th, Day 40: I’m grateful for my father-in-law, who generously offered to build me what will most certainly be the most beautiful and unique console table for my living room!
April 14th, Day 41: After staying up until after midnight (reading, of course) and getting up at 5:30am to say goodbye to my in-laws before they headed to the airport, I’m grateful for c…o…f…f…e…zzzzzzz. Coffee. I’m grateful for coffee.
April 15th, Day 42: I’m grateful for a quick and relatively painless insertion of Will’s new orthodontia appliance, and for a lovely chat with my boy on the way back to school afterwards. And he was VERY grateful for the Jimmy John’s sandwich I brought him for lunch.
April 16th, Day 43: I’m grateful my boy wears his passion for baseball on his sleeve, and that he’s in no way shy about sharing that passion with all those – players, coaches, fans – around him.
April 17th, Day 44: I’m grateful that Hallie’s fall from the viewing seats at the dance studio resulted in only a minor head wound, that a little lipstick was all she needed to pull herself together and rejoin her class, and that her adorable dance costumes finally arrived!
April 18th, Day 45: I’m grateful for a lovely Good Friday lunch with friends (grown-up friends for me to relax and laugh with and little kid friends for Will and Hallie to play with), an afternoon spent baking and dying eggs and prepping for Easter, and an evening playing at the park with my whole family.
April 19th, Day 46: I’m grateful for a restorative Centergy class, a bounty of green and white onions pulled from my garden, two quiet hours of “alone time”, and a second evening in a row spent playing at the park with my loves.
Today, I'm grateful for you…that you join me here as part of the Chasing Roots community.
And to those of you who celebrate Passover and Easter, happy belated!
Love getting this glimpse into your life. And I got a fun package in the mail Saturday! Thanks!! :-)
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