What a beautiful day for a drive to Aspen.

I am grateful for a two hour drive that turned into three because of tunnel work. We sat on I-70 and enjoyed Dad’s book, me reading out loud to Sam in the stillness of the morning, before getting out of the car to peek over the edge and enjoy the water below, and then visiting with the California guy in the pickup just ahead of us.

I am grateful for this book that has made us both choke up a bit as we read it together. I am grateful for the profound wisdom of a homeless man…

I am grateful that I am not an Aspen person, although it was very entertaining to see how the privileged live.

I am grateful for a drive without the radio but with a sunroof and with a little AC for the warm sunshine that melted the chocolate in my purse.

I am grateful for the symmetry of towering pines.

I am grateful for the sound of a babbling brook.

I am grateful for my husband who intentionally walks street side and holds my hand as we meander.

I am grateful for deep conversation last night with friends, and I am grateful that they too struggle to know the answers in this ever-changing world, but I am also grateful that good friends share their faith in Jesus and their desire to serve Him and the younger generation.

And I am grateful for a few more days to just enjoy life in Colorado.

I am grateful today for the time to sit in this cozy living room, hearing the birds singing outside.

I am grateful today for the beauty of a mountain covered in pines, with a brilliant blue sky backdrop and lazy clouds floating by.

I am grateful today for a cool morning to relax and enjoy and soak in the many gifts that I so often overlook.

I am grateful today for the problems in my life, because today I am once again reminded how minuscule those problems really are, and I am reminded that they make life interesting and allow me the room to grow and to depend.

I am grateful today for memories made yesterday, for our friends Julie and David, for laughter, for tired legs after hiking, for a room to return to after a full day.

I am grateful today for new friends.

I am grateful today for  an absence of technology, with the exception of this computer, of course. I am grateful that the TV is not blaring, the cell phone is not being used, and I can sit in quiet and appreciate the silence.

I am grateful today for songs that are filling my mind. Two choral songs from years past – The Majesty and Glory of Your Name by Fettke, and How Can I Keep From Singing? by Lowry. I did these with my choirs, and God has placed them back into play in my internal jukebox this morning.

And I am grateful today for this song, another one that will accompany me throughout the day:

I had this dream in the night. It was so real, I could smell the sweetness. In it, I was in the car following a rendering truck and soaking in the aroma that it left in its wake.

Funny how you dream craziness when you sleep craziness.

We left the beauty of western Kansas and tried to catch up to a glorious eastern Colorado thunderstorm, both of us perfectly happy and delirious in our adventure, opting to continue driving into the evening rather than stop in a tiny Colorado town and it’s no-tell motel. However, we had neglected to charge this tablet yesterday before we left on the trip, and therefore, we were down to single digit battery life, so we turned it off and decided to just check in to a hotel willy nilly when we arrived in the Springs shortly before midnight.

Not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier…but we sure were having a good time on the adventure.

“We’re sorry. All sold out tonight.”

“So sorry. No vacancies this evening.”

And then… “There isn’t a room available in the Springs area. Or Manitou. Or Pueblo. Or Woodland Park…” So, this morning, I am grateful for cheap pillows and $2 blankets from WalMart.

I am grateful for a clean and single restroom at the Loaf & Jug convenience store where I could wash my face and brush my teeth in private.

I am grateful for a relatively empty parking lot to park the car and sleep for a few hours.

I am grateful for seats that recline.

I am grateful for the laughter Sam and I have had over this unplanned and slightly inconvenient adventure.

I am grateful for happy waitresses at The Hungry Bear who made us smile in our foggy car-slept haze.

I am grateful for a family who walked in to the same restaurant wearing their Royals t-shirts and told us about yesterday’s game.

I am grateful for a sunroof this morning to enjoy the mountain air as we make our way up the Pass.

And I am grateful that we will have a bed tonight.

I am grateful for small town western Kansas that makes a drive so interesting.

I am grateful for my husband, who travels leisurely and doesn’t speed, enjoying the drive rather than hurrying to get there, who makes a U-turn so that I can take a picture of a funny sign in Leoti.

And I am grateful for funny signs in Leoti that make me think of my Dad.

Happy birthday, Katrina Beth. I have always loved your name. It’s spunky and fun, but sensitive and sweet. It fits who you are.

I love talking to you on the phone. I could listen to your stories about your daily adventures and Parker and Reilly and ups and downs and your philosophy on life and current events and love of movies and tv shows and hear your laughter and sense your pain…and wish there was never an end to the conversation.

I love how you are passionate about your calling in life. You have accepted this ministry of reaching out to young people, of partnering with your husband, of opening your home to any and all, with such a grace and a compassion that is an example for the rest of us to follow. You sacrifice in order to serve. You teach your little girls what it means to live on less in order to fully live.

I love the memories you have given to me over the years. Some of my greatest joys in this life have been to sit in the stands and watch you play volleyball, or basketball, or softball, or run track, or play tennis with your sister. Or to listen to you surrounded by your many friends around the kitchen table as you laughed and played board games into the wee hours of the morning.

I held your tiny hand in mine 30 years ago, loving you as my new baby girl, and today, so many miles away, I am holding your hand in my heart, still my baby girl, and loving you 30 years even more.

I am so proud of the woman you are and so honored to call you my daughter.

You are my grateful today and every day, Katrina Beth. I love you tons.