With Mother’s Day in the rearview mirror, I must spend a moment basking in the afterglow.  When I held my newborns in my arms, I promised them I’d never buy them a car and I hoped they would grow up  to be kind and happy. Mission accomplished.  When I held each of my newborn grandchildren, I promised to take them to see the Nutcracker at Christmastime and I vowed to love them forever.  So far so good.  This weekend I joined my eight siblings to celebrate our Mother and do her bidding.  We cleaned and scraped, painted and pruned, and ate and laughed.  All my brothers- and sisters-in-law pitched in, too.  Even some of the nieces and nephews got busy. I’m one lucky lady.  I have such a wonderful family.

 

Here are a few more things that made me smile this week:

[icon name=”smile-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]   A new freelancing gig with an exciting new drug product.  Right in the middle of Chicago, the city that makes my heart happy.

[icon name=”smile-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]   New growth popping out of the ground.

[icon name=”smile-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]    Rain, rain, and more rain.

[icon name=”smile-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]   Old friends that hug me when we meet.  You know who you are.

[icon name=”smile-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]   Good books.  I just finished Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood (a gruesome book with beautiful description,) and Lisa Romeo’s Starting with Goodbye. (We had such different childhoods, but I can relate to so much of what she writes.)

[icon name=”smile-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]   Dark chocolate with almonds from Aldi’s.  Good price and marvelous melting flavors.  I think I’ll go get some now!

[tweetthis]What makes you smile this week? [/tweetthis] You almost always make me say, ‘Oh yeah, that too!  Please share.