So Very Grateful

I am so grateful for

• the yardwork that brings neighbors together on warm fall weekends. While raking the side yard yesterday we chatted with our tenant who was coming in from errands, as well as our next door neighbors who were cutting branches away from their roof.
• free firewood from kind neighbors. We will need to dry for a few months, but on some cool night, the branches formerly skimming the neighbors' roof will warm our home.
• movie nights with my family, even if I have yet to stay awake for an entire film.
• mechanically inclined brothers who will (hopefully) repair my finicky van this afternoon.
  

Daily Magic : The Simple Things

Once upon a time, I used to feature posts about what I was grateful for on that day. Never one to forsake tradition (even traditions I only recently created myself), I am re-instituting the Daily Magic feature on this blog. My newly-found sense of reality tells me that I won't recognize magic every day, but I do think that I can come up with something each week. Or else I'll have to make something up......

I am grateful for:

• little kid questions. Agent 002 is the king of questions. A typical conversation with him goes like this:
  

  Agent 002: Is today Monday?
  Saintly Mama: No, today is Thursday.
  Agent 002: Is today Sunday?
  Saintly Mama: No, today is Thursday.
  Agent 002: Is today Wednesday?
  Saintly Mama: No, today is Thursday.
  Agent 002: Is today Friday?
  Saintly Mama: No, today is Thursday.
  Agent 002: May I have some candy, please?
  Saintly Mama: No, today is Thursday.

  There are occasions, however, when his questions are incredible insightful:
  
• Is heaven far away, like Grammy's house?
• Is Brooklyn in the United States?
  
• Can Jesus hear me laughing and banging and crashing and splashing in the pool?
• When I die, would Jesus wake me up?
  

Still Grateful (Daily Magic #7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12)

The dearth of posts does not indicate a lack of magic in our lives; in fact I have not posted because we have been so busy enjoying family friends, and turkey. I am grateful for:

• The smell of wood burning in pre-twilight silence.
• Sunrise. Watching the line of sun move across our frosty lawn offers some compensation for the waking up at 4:30 with a teething agent.
• The Dump. Going to the dump (or "transfer station" or "recycling center") is a New Hampshire institution. Very few towns have municipal trash service, and the majority of homeowners drop off their own trash and recyclable rather than contracting out for pick-up. The Agents and I go once per week. Agent 004 usually sleeps through the experience, but I let Agent 002 'help' toss pre-separated recyclable into the proper bins and heave garbage garbage bags into the compacting chasm.
• Grampy Love. Nearly two weeks ago my father brought Agent 002 with him on a dump-run. My parents actually have roadside pick-up, but need to bring bulk items and yard waste directly to the transfer station. Agent 002 has talked about nothing since -- I have heard " Go see Grampy ride pick-up truck. Dump. Grampy throw sticks." Mind you, this kid goes to our dump with me each week, but going with Grampy, in a pick-up truck, was something extra-special.
• Leftovers. The days after Thanksgiving are filled with turkey, turkey, and more turkey, and maybe some stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pies. Instead of being grateful for our bounty (which is, in fact, the meaning of the holiday), we whine about the monotony of leftovers. I am exasperated by complaints that are neither true nor justified. The first Thanksgiving leftovers (hopefully consumed on fresh rye bread or leftover dinner rolls before the food has even fully cooled) offer an opportunity for stress-free family bonding. After days of laboring over recipes, the leftover turkey sandwich takes no skills or planning to prepare. Whether served buffet style or straight from the refrigerator, the whole family can create their own turkey masterpieces. And then the open-faced turkey sandwiches, turkey pot pie and turkey soup...... I am salivating before our breakfast of turkey omelets.....
• Cousins. Who merit a post all their own.

Daily Magic #5 and #6

I am grateful for:

• The internet which allows me to stay close with old friends, even when they are far away. I have received comments from four midwestern buddies in the past week, which means that at least that many have read my drivel.
• In-Laws who are loving, giving and kind. I am a very lucky warillever indeed.

Daily Magic #4

I am grateful for:

• Simple Technology: I may be the rare blogger in that I am not at all a gadget freak. I have no cell phone, flash player, or pda, and have little interest in acquiring any of those electronic tethers. I am, however, enamored with the baby monitor. This simple little radio allows me to do things like blog, read, or rake leaves without worrying about the children's well-being. In the twenty minutes that Agent 002's and Agent 004's naps overlap, I can almost pretend that I am in the house all alone..........

Daily Magic #3

I am grateful for:

• Living close to family. We spent the day at my sister M's house yesterday. Their woodshed collapsed after their winter's wood had been stacked last week, so I volunteered Mr. warillever as grunt labor for the day. M, Cousin F, Agent 002, and Agent 004, and I did some socializing inside the house while the guys worked. Sexism at its best.

Daily Magic #2

(to make up for the lack of an entry yesterday)

I am grateful for:

• Silly monk jokes

Daily Magic #1

I am grateful for:

• morning kisses - as Mr. warillever leaves for work, he gives each member of the household a kiss. No matter how late he is running, he takes the time to honor "last time" requests for extra kisses from Agent 002, and even gives the cat a goodbye stroke. Yay for thoughtful Papas.