Back in October at Thanksgiving, we were fortunate to meet up with old friends for the evening. Good people who now live far away and live separate lives from us - we were just getting to know them before they moved, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to see them again. I was taken aback (in a pleasant way) when she said, "Hey! You haven't blogged in a while!"
So this is for Ruthy, because she's the kind of person who so easily reminds me of the wonderful things in life to be grateful for.
I am grateful for (in no particular order):
The warmth of Safiya's little hand as we walk (she still takes mine automatically whenever we set out somewhere).
Cats. Somehow we've ended up with two cats. Cats are ridiculous creatures, and they make me laugh.
That tenacious streak in Mr. S. and that he's got my back.
Sleep.
My mother and I can drive eachother crazy (Mr. S. often says it's like listening to one person argue with themselves), and probably we both often fail to live up to one another's standards of what we think a mother or a daughter ought to be, but we've got the kind of relationship where after tensions rise, that's it, we're done, now let's go watch a sappy movie and cry together. She tries so hard to be a good person all the time (I've only recently gotten her swearing - it was necessary, and I was so proud of her), she's trustworthy, reliable, slightly crazy (as all mothers are), and I like her the way she is.
Morning sun. That first cleansing morning light.
People who don't remind you of your faults when you've failed, even when they're pretty obvious. I think that's called grace.
After a summer of not being in the studio, coming back and feeling like I'm falling in love all over again.
And that trepidation/joy feeling of new growth (five months of it so far, to be more or less exact :-)
I love that Safiya's drawn the baby upside-down and that I apparently have a gazillion legs.
Like I said, a lot to be grateful for.