Gratitude, Day 24

Happy Monday!

Today I am grateful for unexpected gifts. November has been a very fruitful month... It's very strange, but gifts have just been pouring in... My nephew gave me the gift of two visits and a keyboard, which I've already talked about.

The day after Matt came to see me, two friends from my days in the city came. Paul gave the girls a gift... a nifty toy which they can't lose. They both have a penchant for losing their toys. I don't know where the twelve million little balls are... but they will no doubt turn up at some point and be lost again with in a day of rediscovery. The toy Paul left us is on a stick and I have actually gotten smart enough to put it in a safe place when we aren't playing with it. Both girls played this morning and I took these terrible blurry pictures... but you can see that they were having fun. It was really remarkable for Tara Grace to come and play. She doesn't often do that because she doesn't see too well and I think she was kind of robbed of her kittenhood. Anyway... they are enjoying the gift.


Then last weekend, Nate and Dan came with a free microwave. I haven't had the courage to use it yet, but my food delivery just came and there are some specifically microwavable items in the mix this time, so maybe I'll work up my courage and try it. I'm always grateful for the gift of Schwans and for Tom, the man who delivers my groceries. He's such a kind, nice man. We had a lovely chat this morning about healing and spirituality. He's now behind schedule, but it was a good talk.

Then yesterday... I'm not kidding... it has been a never-ending flow of gifts.... Nate and his mother Sue came by for a surprise visit. For about five years now, I have had a tragic but much loved little fake Christmas tree - a fake tree worthy of Charlie Brown. I got it on sale from some on-line candle store for something like $3 or $5. Cheap. Really cheap. It was such a pathetic eyesore that I loved it. It was loveably pathetic. Alas, at the end of last year it twinkled it's last ( the lights went out and as far as I can tell, there's now way to fix them). Nate knew I was hunting for a replacement. I had found one online but it was a touch pricy... good sale but... more than $5 that I paid for the tree it was replacing. So last night in comes Nate with this little tree which he insisted on giving to me. Oh - and I almost forgot that last Sunday Dan brought me a Merry Christmas thing for my door. It's really sweet. I'll share a photo at some point but it's already taking me forever to write this today and taking more photos would just add another delay.

Almost done with my list... Later today, I'm getting new phones... They weren't a gift and I suppose I should wait to talk about them since they haven't arrived, but I'm really excited about getting them. Found a deal on Amazon.com.... answering machine and phone with a second handset all for $35. I've long wanted a phone in the bedroom because given my physical issues it's kind of stupid not to have one there. This new phone - hopefully - will have the virtue of being smaller and not reprogrammable by the cats as the current phone is. They change my message, turn the answer machine off, do all sorts of things to it. Stomp all over it... even when I'm talking to people. Sigh. This morning it was off the hook. I'm hoping that this new one will solve that problem. And it was half price. I love a good sale. And this phone is cordless! Needless to say, I'm profoundly grateful for FedEx and UPS who so kindly bring me stuff from time to time.

And of course last but not least, last night - or perhaps the wee hours of this morning, my house was "cosmically harmonized." I'll write about that more as the days go by, but I think it's such a cool gift to have received. I don't know if it's my imagination or not, but the energy in the house feels "lighter" to me. I slept really well and I feel more energetic than I have in a while. This could be because I went to bed earlier and got up earlier... In any case, I'm very happy about it and will share more later in the month.

So, anyway, this morning, I am awed and grateful for so many small and large gifts and improvements in my home life. And grateful as always to have this sweet home and the beauty and wonder that surrounds it.

Have a fantastic day!