I am grateful for:

• My Mom’s trait of saving everything, although I used to get so annoyed about it.  Her boxes of cards and programs and pictures and artwork and letters and handwritten notes and hospital records and schoolwork and everything in between will mean absolutely nothing to anyone but her children and her husband, and I can attest to the fact that her two daughters loved the treasures we found on Saturday evening.
• For the glimpse around the corner of Dad in his new bedroom, sitting in his chair reading last night.
• For dinner on the patio with birds singing their evening song, crows squawking, jet trails high in the sky, soft music on the speakers, a warm sun giving way to evening’s first chill, and conversation with my roommates, Sam and Dad.
• For dinnertime phone calls with Ron and Patsy, wishing Dad well in his new home.
• For a brother who came to unload and help with the move but ended up tiling Dad’s kitchen floor, as well.
• For a nephew who gave up his weekend to help his Grandpa move and who didn’t complain or hesitate one second when asked to carry 14 tons of tile to the basement.
• For Larry and Sue, two wonderful friends who also gave up their Saturday to help unload a truck and carry boxes and clothes and other items to the basement and made the day that much more pleasant and fun, and then finished the day with a text that said, “Thanks for letting us be a part of your day! We love the Ferguson family!”
• For Larry, a great friend of Dad’s in Hutch, who put together a giant card with well-wishes from Dad’s home church, checked in on Dad on a regular basis, helped Dad and Dwight load the truck, and has been a support to our entire family.
• For a nephew and niece who wanted some of Mom and Dad’s things badly enough they wrote their names on the bottom so we would know not to toss out.
• For walking weather.
• For our new housemate and his desire to help out – I am not sure I’ll ever have to walk down the street to get the mail or vacuum the kitchen floor ever again!
• For a room full of junior high and high school choir kids who make me smile, who can sing like nobody’s business, who made me feel very welcome and very loved.
• For Joyce, who gave me the opportunity to work with the kids again.
• For pretty little Easter clothes that hang in the stores and cause an Ama to silently cry inside.
• For little chicks that remind me of my childhood.

• For a bunny named Mr. Peabody that is visiting my grandchildren until Easter – he brings back so many wonderful memories of my childhood, including all of our bunnies. Wish I could remember their names, but the only one I CAN remember is Angela’s monster bunny, Precious.

• And for this scripture, shared by Deb today:  “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.  On the contrary, repay evil with blessing.” – 1 Peter 3:9 NIV