It’s Memorial Day. Today’s paper has the names of all the soldiers from this county who died in wars, beginning from the Civil War. I live in a county that a few medium-sized cities, small villages, along with many farms and preserved open spaces. The number of soldiers willing to give their life for a cause they believe in is astounding:
Civil War: 345 soldiers
WWI: 90 soldiers
WWII: 293 soldiers
Korea: 14 soldiers
Vietnam: 28 soldiers
Iraq & Afganistan 7 soldiers
The numbers astound me. Of course, to family and friends, one soldier’s life is too many. I thank the Northwest Herald for publishing each individual’s name. It’s not just statistics,the people are real people.
In no particular order, here are a few other things on my gratitude list this week:
♥ Kites: Big and small, homemade and engineered. Flying a kite or just watching make my heart soar.
♥ Birds singing after a gentle rain : I can almost hear the grass growing. Was that a bullfrog croaking. Yes, it was.
♥ Greenhouses gone “green”: It may sound funny, but even greenhouses are looking for ways to be more energy-efficient. Like this roll-back cover that keeps the flowers and plants at just the right temperature all year around.
♥ The silliness of childhood: Such simple things make them (and me) laugh. No capital investment required.
♥ Chicago Writes: I’m all signed up for a conference in August. This fills the void BlogHer leaves. It’s the first time in several years I won’t be going to BlogHer. I’ll miss you friends. New York proved too expensive this year and focus on my book must take priority. Still, I will miss BlogHer. I’m so lucky to have so many choices.
♥ Bicycle paths: I love to bicycle. Need I say more?
♥ Outdoor pools and open beaches: Swimming is fun, too.
♥ Kids that beg for another Stay-cation. A couple of years ago, we camped in our backyard. CoCo recuperating from surgery. It was a compromise; maybe less fun than the sand dunes. Or maybe it was more fun. At least six of the kids have asked for a do-over-stay-cation. Like I said, fun with very little capital investment.
What’s on your gratitude list this week? I’d love to be inspired by the little things and the big. If you’d like more, hop on over to Alphabet Salad and join Laurel. You won’t be sorry. I promise.
