This past weekend, Loved-One, Duckie, Beanie and her brood traveled “home” for my godson’s wedding. Twelve hours in the car in two-day. An uneventful trip for a wonderful celebration. (No pictures, my battery died.) Breaking a peaceful silence, Loved-One turned to me:
“You have such a nice family. I mean really, really nice people. And each person that gets added, is just as nice: Melissa (the bride,) Britta (a new bride in the last year,) Reggie (a new boyfriend,) Liz (a newish girlfriend.) All just really nice people.”
We are blessed. Not a meanie in the crowd.
So, family leads my gratitude list.
- Painless Laughter: The kind that comes at no one’s expense. The Ellen DeGeneres kind of laughter. The spontaneous kind when you recognize yourself and some of your own quirkiness.
- Painless Laughter: Sunday, I met man with an easy, free laugh. Each time he laughed, it triggered some sort of nervous response that resulted in his thigh muscles seizing in pain. “So you must stay mellow, and not laugh too much,” I said. He laughed, which caused another round of tetanus-like muscle contraction. In spite of the pain, he kept laughing. He couldn’t help himself.
- Apps like “RoadTrippers”: that help me and Loved-One plan our upcoming trip to Utah. We can plug in what we want to see (landscape, historical,) what kind of food we like to eat (local,) and our preferred activities (hiking and biking.) RoadTripper tells us where everything is along the way, and how long it will take us to get there. It even helps us plan expenses.
- Helpful grandchildren: Beanie’s kids saw me start to clean up and they got up, without prompting, to help. Even the I’ll-be-4-in-November” sweetheart pitched right in.
- Dancing sibling: Dancing in a barn kept us warm all night long. I wonder what the youngsters think of all the grannies and grampies shaking their tail-feathers.
- Barefoot toe-touching: I came home to stay with three more grandchildren for a few days while mom is out of town. Littlest climbed into bed and curled up next to me. She reached out in her sleep, soft tip-toes touching bruised shins. We’re safe here, communicated with a touch.
- Strawberries from far away: Grandson #1 is celebrating 16 years, a new driver’s license and a strawberry-filled cake from G-Mom.
- Yoga: I started practicing right after Grandson #1 was born. Can it be 16 years? Seems like yesterday.
- Family: Wait, I already said that. It bears repeating, doesn’t it? We are fam-i-ly.
What’s on your list this week? Click the link below and share your list with Laurel at Alphabet Salad.
