311/365 Grateful for Quiet Times

"Going In Circles Is Not All Bad"

Most days I feel like a hamster on one of those exercise wheels...round and round I go only to end up right back where I started not knowing for sure what I have accomplished.   Feeling like there is something else that I need to be doing all the time makes it hard for me to slow down, take a deep breath and calmly and quietly reflect on the day.  One way that I like to celebrate my day is by drawing a mandala.  This sacred circle helps me to gain a better perspective on the crazy circles that I have run all day long.

310/365 Grateful for the Little Things

'It's in the Little Things"

Thank you , Sara!

309/365 Grateful for Birthdays

"The Right Time"

Despite all the jokes and teasing that usually come our way on birthdays, especially once you cross the 50 mark, they are still deserving of a joyous celebration.  To have the opportunity to greet another year is such a blessing.

One of the ways that we honor and celebrate the lives of our parents who have died is to light a remembrance candle on their birthdays.  It is a small but meaningful gesture.

308/365 Grateful for Harvest

"Harvesting the Brain"

Took this one a few days (weeks?) ago for my baby the math nerd.  It will have to do for today.  It was a rainy gray day here and there was nothing being harvested.  

I am grateful that the Lego mini figures always come to my rescue when my creativity is pretty much non-existent.

307/365 Grateful for Sight

"The Better To See You With"

I am grateful for all the things that make it easier for me to visually navigate through my days.  My iPad, phone, glasses and monocular each do a little to make my world a little better.  Because light sensitivity is one of the issues with my eyes, I chose to over expose this photo as a nod to that.

306/365 Grateful for Lessons Learned

"Follow Your Dreams"

I have learned many  many lessons in my lifetime, most of them the hard way.  The one that I value the most and the one that I wish that I had learned much earlier in life is to follow your dreams.  I have tried to teach that one to the girls.  Aren't parents supposed to try to keep their children from making the same mistakes that they did?  I am happy to see the girls trying to make a go of their bread baking business.  I wish that I didn't see so much of its mess in my kitchen, but I do enjoy seeing them trying to create something that is their very own.  Who knows, maybe they will be the next Wonder Bread.

This picture is far from technically good;  that speaks to another lesson that I have learned.  Everything doesn't have to be, nor can it be, perfect.  It has taken me a long time to learn that one but I think I might almost be there!

305/365 Surprise

"A Friendly Surprise"

Our friend Paul, who collects Hot Wheels and knows of my fondness for Lego mini figures, discovered that Hot Wheels and Lego have joined forces.  This car has the iconic Lego "pegs" so that the mini figures can stand.  How cool is that!  It takes a true friend to know and appreciate how excited I would be to be given this Hot Wheels car as a surprise today. Since Paul started as our contractor and became a true friend during the process of the house renovations, it seemed only fitting for the day's photo to include the mini figure that best represents Paul.