It is July in May. It is going to be a long summer. I am grateful for air conditioning and I am also grateful for the wind this morning on my pre-90 degree walk.

Sweat is dripping off my face, my hair sticks to my forehead in the wet wind, and even though I am in complete and total misery because I am shallow and cannot handle, I have to stop and recognize the glory and count this blessing from God that very few at 6:15 am will see.

Our home is full, and it has been an exhausting five days. I am grateful for room to welcome neighbor guests, room to welcome a granddaughter to live with us for the summer, room to welcome home our son and get him settled back into his space.

I miss my mom and wish I could call her and tell her all about the weekend. Instead, after dinner Sunday night, we loaded up our two kids and went to Dairy Queen. I ordered a Peanut Buster Parfait, Mom’s favorite, and enjoyed every bite. I pay for that indulgence with my morning 5 mile walks in the heavy humid morning air. Fair trade. I am grateful for memories of Mom, for a Dairy Queen down the street, for laughter with two kids in the backseat, for a live cat alarm at 5:30 am, and for the ability to walk those five miles on this July day in May.

My sister got me out of my box again and we took granddaughter with us. There is no word I can come up with to describe that feeling of overwhelm when everything around you is just a blur and you are so exhausted and mind blown tired that you have a hard time even thinking – it is an emotional tired more than a physical tired. Every other time I would have kindly declined and curled up in a ball for a long nap, but I didn’t this time, and for that, I am grateful. And we have a picture of our art to prove it.

Finally, I am grateful for the promise of brighter days and seasons.

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
    His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.

– Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT