I am grateful for chocolate chip cookie dough in a mixing bowl.

I am grateful for a brilliant blue sky in October.

I am grateful for baseball players who know to keep their mouths closed when chewing gum, who respect their fans enough to not spit in public, and who know how to shave and do so. Basically, I am grateful for fantasy baseball players.

I am grateful for the Cinderella team from my city, even though they chew obscenely, spit obscenely, and grow hair on their faces.

I am grateful for the smell of fresh balsam. Mmmmmmmm.

I am grateful for a Friday evening at home, with cookies in the oven, baseball on TV, a chill in the air, and nothing to do but relax. Well, I have lots to do, but those things will wait. Life is too short to hurry and stress.

I am grateful for an email from my daughter yesterday:

Wow.  Chpt 19 in Battlefield of the Mind was amazing.  Such a good reminder that every single interaction with everyone is always our opportunity to turn someone towards Christ or away from Christ. We live in a “customer is always right mentality” world, and when we feel wronged by a restaurant,  store, person, etc., it is important to remember we might be the only light that person ever sees. Instead of demanding a manager or reacting in anger or getting what you might feel you deserve, we should respond in agape love, putting their feelings first and seeing the best in everyone and every situation.  This might be our hardest calling, but Jesus walked on the earth to show us how it’s done. He was crucified and tortured greater than any human ever will be and still never showed one ounce of anger or bitterness or anxiety or revenge, but patiently suffered for us.  What an amazing example He is.  Next time someone gets your order wrong or speaks rudely to you, remember how much Jesus went through on the cross and what kind of example He is.  If He can suffer through that with a good attitude, how much more we can do!   Wow, I’m so convicted but so excited to let my extreme difference from the world shine.

Philippians 2:14-15 NLT

Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

I am grateful for fleece jackets, thick socks, and blue jeans.

I am grateful for the refreshing smell of a chilly October afternoon.

I am grateful for a kitchen timer so that I don’t have to constantly check the oven.

I am grateful for two daughters who are so passionate about raising children well, who are so passionate about making a difference in this world.

And finally, I am grateful for blankets, fireplaces, heated seats, a working furnace, and weather stripping for the windows.

I am grateful for the beautiful sound this morning as I sat in my car at a stoplight. I was under an enormous cloud of rain that decided to spill over onto my roof, and it was HEAVENLY.

It was like sitting on the curb on a hot summer morning, waiting for the band to come marching down the street.  The music started out quietly, and I strained to hear more. And then, the little drops introduced me to bigger drops that made glorious music. As the car began to move, the pitter-patter  increased in speed and developed a higher timbre, and then the wipers joined in, sounding like a tuba playing a steady “OOOM-pah, OOOm-pah, OOOM-pah” as the big bass drum thunder occasionally added a boom to the wet symphony. I parked in the parking lot and sat in silence, enjoying the concert. I am grateful that God gives this gift of a thunderstorm, and I am grateful that I am in a place to fully appreciate its magnificence.

I am grateful for a roll of stamps and extra envelopes, so that I could finish my family reunion mailing.

I am grateful for people in my life who have chosen to go on and not dwell on my past. I am also grateful for the friends and family in my life who were distant but have reconnected and have decided that I am worth getting to know again.

I am grateful for the way that God brings people to mind – I’m still praying for “our pastors” in Minnesota and Kentucky and North Carolina, and I love how their names randomly appear in the first folder of my mental filing cabinet.

I am grateful for McDonalds Monopoly stamps that are instant winners.

I am grateful for people with southern accents, Boston accents, and Australian accents. They make me smile.

I am grateful for people who enjoy the rain and dance in it.

I am grateful for the brightest crayons in the box.

I am grateful that after my CASA visit, tonight will be a night to sit on the couch on watch some baseball. Go Royals! Be Royal.

Have you noticed what has happened in our culture the past few years? And yes, I am just as guilty of this. People have quit saying, “Hi!” and have replaced it with “Hey.”

I would like “Hi!” to come back. I would like for “Hey” to go back to the barn.

So, I am grateful for the handful of people who still say, “Hi!” May your numbers increase, beginning with…mwah.

Who’s gonna win, gonna win, gonna win?
We’re gonna win, gonna win, gonna win!!

Oh. My. Goodness.

I used to think watching baseball was about as exciting as watching C-Span.  I used to think that watching the Royals was nothing more than a royal pain in the butt and a huge waste of perfectly good reality TV time. But over the past two years, (unfortunately after my Mom is now in Heaven and can’t witness history-in-the-making and her youngest enjoy the team like she did) this former MLB-eye-roller has become a loyal Royal fan. I’m gonna have to break the bank one of these days and go get us some Royals blue like Mom had…

Llama, llama, I miss my Mama.

I am grateful for a granddaughter who is so brave and conquered the wall last night! She’s only FOUR YEARS OLD. This Ama is so proud:

I am grateful that wasps are not like flies and generally stay outside.

I am grateful for Lindor Truffles.

I am grateful for the pure pleasure of sniffing fresh coffee from the jar/can/plastic container/K-cup.

I am grateful for the smells of:

• a steak on the grill
• a fire ready for a hot dog
• that same hot dog beading hot and juicy with burnt spots
• popcorn in a movie theater
• alfalfa in the mill
• the tire department at Sam’s Club
• a turkey baking in the oven
• sautéed onions and green peppers

I’m a hungry, hungry hippo, can ya tell.

I am grateful for Children’s Church songs that for some reason keep playing in my head today.

Behold, behold, I stand at the door and knock, knock, knock…
We are climbing Jacob’s ladder…
Climb, climb up sunshine mountain, heavenly breezes blow…
Satan is a sly, old fox, if I could catch him I’d put him in a box…
He’s able, He’s able, I know He’s able, I know my Lord is able to carry me through…

I am grateful for flannel board stories with Violet Emery. Winkie the Bear was my favorite. Oh, I wish I still had access to him. My grandchildren would love Winkie.

Sam and I are trying to start a new small group. We need friends. We need friends who are like us, friends who go to our church, friends who are in a similar stage of life. We have had dinner with a couple who is interested, as well. We shared with them our favorite book, “Love Does,” by Bob Goff, and told the story of Bob’s children writing letters to all of the world leaders, inviting them over for dinner.  This theme keeps showing up these days, and I am beginning to believe it is not a coincidence. From our dinner at Tortilla Ranch with this couple, to the message on Sunday, and now, in my current read, “Speak” by Nish Weiseth:

We spent the next hour or two around the table over glasses of wine, discussing women in ministry. We all had differing opinions – some of us more passionate than others, to be sure. We pushed and pulled, we poked and prodded, but at the end of the night we all looked at each other and said, “We really need to hang out more.” It was a beautiful sign of graceful disagreement.

I think the world needs a little bit more of this – good discussion over shared meals. There’s something to be said for looking a person in the eye when you’re talking about sensitive issues. Unlike the anonymity of the Internet, when you share a table with someone, it’s impossible to forget you’re speaking to an actual human with real feelings. You’re forced to treat others as though they’re the real people they are. I think the world could do with a lot less Internet and a lot more shared meals.

I am grateful for this conviction to DO something in order to start a small group among church members who are not associated with one already.

I am grateful for this “table” message in my head and heart that will not go away.

And I am grateful for friends who feel the same way.