My heart got tortured the past week. My nephew’s getting married.  Saturday was the Wedding Shower. A niece and nephew graduated this year.  Their parties are this coming weekend.  Connie is my godchild. I can’t go both weekends.  It’s over 300 miles away, more than a 5 hour drive.  I say more than, because I never know how long it will take. Traffic through Chicago is always a bit dicey. I choose graduations. Godchild trumps nephew. I see the photos on Facebook of the Shower. Boo.  I wish I went.  Oh well, I’ll see everyone next weekend.

Then it happens. Mr. D’s birthday/Junior High graduation party is this coming weekend.  Grandchild trumps godchild.  I’m staying home, making a cake and going where there’s no question I want to be.  But, I want to be everywhere.  Which brings me to the first thing on my random gratitude list:

🙂  Many people who mean the world to me. So many people who welcome me in, wrap their arms around me, and include me. Everyone should be so blessed.

🙂  Flexible joints. I stooped yoga style, knees wide, hands between, pulling sod out of flower beds this weekend. No sore muscles this morning.

🙂  Hips for leverage.  As Loved-One cut the sod, with his strong, broad shoulders, my own broadness proved an excellent lever for resting the sod from its persistence.

🙂  New Twitter followers.  I have some faith-writers, some fiction writers, some bloggers, so literary folks, and some humorists.  Whee!  Everyday, someone new.

🙂  Indoor pools.  The weather turned cool. CeCi invited me to a Mud Run.  A resounding “no way!” on may part. a) I don’t want to be wet and cold; b) I don’t want to be muddy and get in the car to drive an hour home.  So, I took CeCi’s kids swimming.  Mr. R asked me if I could “skin the cat” on the bar in the therapy pool.  Heck yes!

🙂  Kindergarten graduations. A bonus grandchild, Mr. B, takes the leap to first grade.  Sooooo cute.

🙂  Lily of the valley. Little flower so unobtrusive, with flowers so delicate and perfume to match.

🙂  Learning to use emoticons.  😉  Wheeee!

🙂  Dick, one of my book club friends.  Inspiring, giving, congenial, and wise. Went for a physical and came home with bad news.  Older than my father was, younger than my mother is. A reminder of what life is all about.

🙂  Frogs that croak in surprise and a water garden that beacons me to stop and contemplate.

What’s on your gratitude list this week?  Please stop by Laurel’s and join the link-up.