Gratitude Friday

1. Hiking with Eric and Sam. One of my favorite things with two of my favorite boys.

2. Connecting with friends. I know and love some really amazing women, smart and funny and courageous, and whether they are making me laugh with a Facebook post, sending me a sweet email, sitting next to me at a movie, wowing me by posting an amazing picture on Instagram, inspiring me with some brave move, sitting across a table from me sharing an ideas, or leaning in to listen to one of mine, I am so so lucky to have them.

3. Eric, the pies he makes me, hugs he gives, texts he sends with pictures of Sam, pictures he takes for me while he and Sam are out hiking, the sound of him asleep next to me. He’s my favorite.

4. It’s August, and everything here is still so green.

5. The surprise of a baby bird.

Bonus Joy: Sam, who continues to give me a place to put all my dog love.

1. Visiting family in Oregon. It was a shorter trip this year, and having just lost Dexter I wasn’t necessarily at my best, but it was good to be there, with them. I went to my youngest niece’s softball tournament with my mom and dad, saw her pitch and my brother coach, watched movies with my mom (she made me a marionberry cobbler!), “met” the feral cat my dad has been taming (looked at it through a window because that’s as close as I could get), hung out a bit with my oldest niece, went to visit one aunt who lives on the coast with a few other aunts along for the ride, ate some seafood, played a new dice game, and walked on the beach. It’s nice to sink into the rhythms of their life, but it’s also good to get back to my own.

2. Walking on the beach. I was so happy to be there, but it was mixed with sadness because our trip last summer was our last before Dexter’s cancer diagnosis, the last time he’d be with us in that place, an innocent time before getting the worst news and I couldn’t help remembering, missing him.

3. Marionberries. You can only get them there, and I can’t eat enough to be satisfied — so good.

4. Having a smart phone. I resisted it for so long, and still cringe each month when I have to pay the bill, but it sure is nice, especially when I am away from home and Eric can text me, send me pictures of my dog.