Dear God:
Today, I am thankful for fresh basil leaves straight from my indoor herb garden.
A week before autumn's first hard freeze, I decided to bring the potted basil plants indoors for the winter along with the scented geraniums. At first, I wasn't sure that basil would thrive past October since they're considered annuals. To my surprise, they're doing quite well. After a few weeks, the plants acclimated to their winter home in the lower family room where they sit in front of the west facing sliding glass door and bask in the afternoon sunshine.
I am thrilled to have a fresh herb to use in my cold weather culinary creations. I harvest a handful of basil whenever I cook, adding the fragrant leaves to favorite savory dishes.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Thursday, 29 November 2007 - Nine deer
Dear God:
Today, I am thankful for nine deer.
S, T and I are tired after completing our truly last climbing adventure this month. This time, we climbd five minutes from home at the Ute Valley bouldering area.
It's just after 4 PM. The sun has already set behind Pikes Peak. As S turns into the neighborhood, we see them immediately on the north side of the street: a herd of nine deer wandering from front yard to front yard in search of dinner.
I'm awed at the sight of the nine deer, but shouldn't be. I tend to forget that, in the Rocky Mountain foothills, the deer and other wild creatures are our neighbors. Their visits, especially during the colder winter and spring months when food is scarce, are reminders that we humans are the real intruders. The deer, coyotes, racoons, bears, mountain lions, foxes, rabbits, eagles, snakes and other wild fauna were here first.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Today, I am thankful for nine deer.
S, T and I are tired after completing our truly last climbing adventure this month. This time, we climbd five minutes from home at the Ute Valley bouldering area.
It's just after 4 PM. The sun has already set behind Pikes Peak. As S turns into the neighborhood, we see them immediately on the north side of the street: a herd of nine deer wandering from front yard to front yard in search of dinner.
I'm awed at the sight of the nine deer, but shouldn't be. I tend to forget that, in the Rocky Mountain foothills, the deer and other wild creatures are our neighbors. Their visits, especially during the colder winter and spring months when food is scarce, are reminders that we humans are the real intruders. The deer, coyotes, racoons, bears, mountain lions, foxes, rabbits, eagles, snakes and other wild fauna were here first.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Wednesday, 28 November 2007 - Great customer service
Dear God:
Today, I am thankful for great customer service.
Rule #1: Use your good judgment in all situations.
There will be no additional rules.
~Nordstrom's Employee Handbook
When I worked in human resources, the above quote - real or not - circulated widely. Those were the good old days when management vigorously promoted employee empowerment. Recently, after talking to friends who still work in Corporate America, I realized that employee empowerment is passe. So, this week, I was pleased to discover that in one company, employee empowerment is still alive and kicking.
The gentleman I dealt with on Monday did not work for Nordstrom's. But, in the spirit of a Nordstrom's employee, he promptly took care of the problem I had with knitting needles I purchased online last January. It's a long story that I won't repeat here. In a nutshell, I bought the needles, put them away because I didn't need to use them right away, decided to try them out last Saturday, discovered a fatal flaw in each pair, contacted the customer service department on Monday and received the replacements today. No questions asked. No need for me to return the flawed needles. Talk about great customer service.
By the way, the knitting needles are the #17 and #19 additions to the basic Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needle Kit at http://www.knitdenise.com/. I own two basic kits and use them for nearly all of my knitting projects. I highly recommend the knitting needles and the company.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Today, I am thankful for great customer service.
Rule #1: Use your good judgment in all situations.
There will be no additional rules.
~Nordstrom's Employee Handbook
When I worked in human resources, the above quote - real or not - circulated widely. Those were the good old days when management vigorously promoted employee empowerment. Recently, after talking to friends who still work in Corporate America, I realized that employee empowerment is passe. So, this week, I was pleased to discover that in one company, employee empowerment is still alive and kicking.
The gentleman I dealt with on Monday did not work for Nordstrom's. But, in the spirit of a Nordstrom's employee, he promptly took care of the problem I had with knitting needles I purchased online last January. It's a long story that I won't repeat here. In a nutshell, I bought the needles, put them away because I didn't need to use them right away, decided to try them out last Saturday, discovered a fatal flaw in each pair, contacted the customer service department on Monday and received the replacements today. No questions asked. No need for me to return the flawed needles. Talk about great customer service.
By the way, the knitting needles are the #17 and #19 additions to the basic Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needle Kit at http://www.knitdenise.com/. I own two basic kits and use them for nearly all of my knitting projects. I highly recommend the knitting needles and the company.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Tuesday, 27 November 2007 - One more climbing adventure
Dear God:
Today, I am thankful for one more climbing adventure this month.
Cooler weather settled in our region just before Thanksgiving. I don't think it intends to leave until spring. Still, if the air temperature is at least 45 degrees F and the winds are calm, we can usually manage a few hours of climbing at Red Rock Canyon. Our main concern is staying warm while belaying the climber.
Also, when winter arrives, our goal changes from climbing at least once a week to climbing once a month. I admit that I have never climbed in a climbing gym. But, if we have an exceptionally snowy or cold winter, I concede that we may have to climb indoors for a few weeks to keep our climbing streak intact.
Early this morning, we awake knowing that, in a few hours, we would embark on our last November climbing adventure. Another cold front is due tonight.
Before leaving the house, we finish our A-priority business tasks. Then, S, T and I load our gear into the truck and head for Red Rock Canyon with high hopes for a great day on the rocks.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Today, I am thankful for one more climbing adventure this month.
Cooler weather settled in our region just before Thanksgiving. I don't think it intends to leave until spring. Still, if the air temperature is at least 45 degrees F and the winds are calm, we can usually manage a few hours of climbing at Red Rock Canyon. Our main concern is staying warm while belaying the climber.
Also, when winter arrives, our goal changes from climbing at least once a week to climbing once a month. I admit that I have never climbed in a climbing gym. But, if we have an exceptionally snowy or cold winter, I concede that we may have to climb indoors for a few weeks to keep our climbing streak intact.
Early this morning, we awake knowing that, in a few hours, we would embark on our last November climbing adventure. Another cold front is due tonight.
Before leaving the house, we finish our A-priority business tasks. Then, S, T and I load our gear into the truck and head for Red Rock Canyon with high hopes for a great day on the rocks.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Monday, 26 November 2007 - An unexpected invitation
Dear God:
Today, I am thankful for an unexpected invitation.
My husband's former manager and still good friend called tonight. But, she wanted to speak to me not S. Of course, I was surprised until I learned the purpose of her call. She called to invite me to speak in January to her women's networking group on the subject of journaling.
Here's the history behind her call. A few months ago, she invited S and I to a house meeting to meet our Colorado legislators. I always like to take a host/hostess gift so I gave her a copy of my self-published book, A Year of Living Gratefully. The book contains favorite entries from the first year of this blog. The next day, she left me a gracious voice mail message, thanking me for the book. She said that once she started reading it, she just couldn't put it down. So, when her networking group decided on the program topics for its 2008 meetings, she thought of me and my grateful journal.
Of course I said yes. Although I am not an expert, I do have extensive journal writing experience. So, here's hoping I will develop an engaging presentation that will inspire many of the 60-80 attendees to start documenting their lives in journals.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Today, I am thankful for an unexpected invitation.
My husband's former manager and still good friend called tonight. But, she wanted to speak to me not S. Of course, I was surprised until I learned the purpose of her call. She called to invite me to speak in January to her women's networking group on the subject of journaling.
Here's the history behind her call. A few months ago, she invited S and I to a house meeting to meet our Colorado legislators. I always like to take a host/hostess gift so I gave her a copy of my self-published book, A Year of Living Gratefully. The book contains favorite entries from the first year of this blog. The next day, she left me a gracious voice mail message, thanking me for the book. She said that once she started reading it, she just couldn't put it down. So, when her networking group decided on the program topics for its 2008 meetings, she thought of me and my grateful journal.
Of course I said yes. Although I am not an expert, I do have extensive journal writing experience. So, here's hoping I will develop an engaging presentation that will inspire many of the 60-80 attendees to start documenting their lives in journals.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Sunday, 25 November 2007 - Writing lessons
Dear God: 
Today, I am thankful for writing lessons.
There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein. ~Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith
Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.
~Gene Fowler
The story I am writing exists, written in absolutely perfect fashion, some place, in the air. All I must do is find it, and copy it. ~Jules Renard
On October 29, when I registered for the National Novel Writing Month(NaNoWriMo) challenge, I honestly did not believe that I could write 50,000 words in 30 days. My writing claim to fame is poetry. In fact, the poem for which I placed second in a national contest last summer consists of three Haiku for a total of 40 words (43 if you include the title). I think I wrote the poem in about 15 minutes. So, you can see how writing 50,000 words in 30 days intimidated me.
Then, November 1 arrived. I started writing. I had no idea what I was doing.
A NaNoWriMo veteran sent me an email, exhorting newbies like myself to write our 1700 word daily quota like our lives depended on it - no excuses allowed. The veteran said that it would take about two weeks for me to develop a rhythm. Then, I will find a story and a voice to tell it.
Well, that is exactly what happened to me. About half-way through the challenge, when I was a woeful 10,000+ words behind schedule and suffering from writer's block, I discovered my main charactor. To my delight, she had a compelling story to tell. So, instead of telling my story, I began to write hers. The light bulb went off. A serendipity. So that's one of the secrets of novel writing - to tell the character's story, not mine.
The writing came easily when I let my main charactor speak. 4,000 words a day - no problem. I reached the magic 50,000 word mark a week early. A good thing for S and T since I have other important things to do like grocery shopping, cooking, house cleaning and laundry. So, in my spare time, I continue to work on my novel. I plan to reach 60,000 words by November 30.
During my writing career, I have claimed several titles including poet, essayist, blogger, ghost writer and editor but never novelist. Now, I will gladly accept it after I finish writing my first novel. Novelist. It's a title that I am earning the hard way - by doing the painstaking work of crafting a story, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, chapter by chapter.
Will I complete the NaMoWriMo challenge again? I think so. Now that I've been through it once, I will be better prepared next time for the 30-day roller coaster ride. I also know that, when I'm forced to write under heavy deadline pressure, my writing and writing strategies improve by leaps and bounds.
Finally, writing is my passion. Challenge or no challenge, I will write anyway. For me, writing is not a competition, but a journey.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Today, I am thankful for writing lessons.
There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein. ~Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith
Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.
~Gene Fowler
The story I am writing exists, written in absolutely perfect fashion, some place, in the air. All I must do is find it, and copy it. ~Jules Renard
On October 29, when I registered for the National Novel Writing Month(NaNoWriMo) challenge, I honestly did not believe that I could write 50,000 words in 30 days. My writing claim to fame is poetry. In fact, the poem for which I placed second in a national contest last summer consists of three Haiku for a total of 40 words (43 if you include the title). I think I wrote the poem in about 15 minutes. So, you can see how writing 50,000 words in 30 days intimidated me.
Then, November 1 arrived. I started writing. I had no idea what I was doing.
A NaNoWriMo veteran sent me an email, exhorting newbies like myself to write our 1700 word daily quota like our lives depended on it - no excuses allowed. The veteran said that it would take about two weeks for me to develop a rhythm. Then, I will find a story and a voice to tell it.
Well, that is exactly what happened to me. About half-way through the challenge, when I was a woeful 10,000+ words behind schedule and suffering from writer's block, I discovered my main charactor. To my delight, she had a compelling story to tell. So, instead of telling my story, I began to write hers. The light bulb went off. A serendipity. So that's one of the secrets of novel writing - to tell the character's story, not mine.
The writing came easily when I let my main charactor speak. 4,000 words a day - no problem. I reached the magic 50,000 word mark a week early. A good thing for S and T since I have other important things to do like grocery shopping, cooking, house cleaning and laundry. So, in my spare time, I continue to work on my novel. I plan to reach 60,000 words by November 30.
During my writing career, I have claimed several titles including poet, essayist, blogger, ghost writer and editor but never novelist. Now, I will gladly accept it after I finish writing my first novel. Novelist. It's a title that I am earning the hard way - by doing the painstaking work of crafting a story, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, chapter by chapter.
Will I complete the NaMoWriMo challenge again? I think so. Now that I've been through it once, I will be better prepared next time for the 30-day roller coaster ride. I also know that, when I'm forced to write under heavy deadline pressure, my writing and writing strategies improve by leaps and bounds.
Finally, writing is my passion. Challenge or no challenge, I will write anyway. For me, writing is not a competition, but a journey.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Saturday, 24 November 2007 - 50,000 words
Dear God:
Today, I am thankful for 50,000 words.
Write the wrongs that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on a piece of marble. ~Arabic proverb
I won't receive official acknowledgement until tomorrow when the official word counter is up and running on the National Novel Writing Month site http://www.nanowrimo.org/. My unofficial word count exceeds 50,000 so, unless the notorious word gremlins delete entire paragraphs from my manuscript tonight, I plan to join other writers in the "winner's circle" beginning Sunday.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Today, I am thankful for 50,000 words.
Write the wrongs that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on a piece of marble. ~Arabic proverb
I won't receive official acknowledgement until tomorrow when the official word counter is up and running on the National Novel Writing Month site http://www.nanowrimo.org/. My unofficial word count exceeds 50,000 so, unless the notorious word gremlins delete entire paragraphs from my manuscript tonight, I plan to join other writers in the "winner's circle" beginning Sunday.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Friday, 23 November 2007 - Black Friday
Dear God:
Today, I am thankful for Black Friday.
In the spirit of Black Friday, I don't shop or buy a single thing on the day or weekend after Thanksgiving. This morning, a few stores opened at the erstwhile unheard of hour of 4 AM (thank you very much Kohls and Penneys - I definitely won't contribute to your bottomline this year). Anyway, it is so cold outside, I can't muster the courage to take T for a walk in the park. I'll let S have the honors this afternoon. Poor T. He's suffering from cabin fever.
BTW. I spent the afternoon working on my 50,000 word novel for the National Novel Writing Month challenge. I now have less than 3,000 words to go. I hope to reach 50,000 words tomorrow. I read a few posts on the regional message board and learned that my Colorado Springs team is battling the Fort Collins writers on total wordcount - obviously a friendly and informal competition. When I checked a few minutes ago, Colorado Springs was winning.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Today, I am thankful for Black Friday.
In the spirit of Black Friday, I don't shop or buy a single thing on the day or weekend after Thanksgiving. This morning, a few stores opened at the erstwhile unheard of hour of 4 AM (thank you very much Kohls and Penneys - I definitely won't contribute to your bottomline this year). Anyway, it is so cold outside, I can't muster the courage to take T for a walk in the park. I'll let S have the honors this afternoon. Poor T. He's suffering from cabin fever.
BTW. I spent the afternoon working on my 50,000 word novel for the National Novel Writing Month challenge. I now have less than 3,000 words to go. I hope to reach 50,000 words tomorrow. I read a few posts on the regional message board and learned that my Colorado Springs team is battling the Fort Collins writers on total wordcount - obviously a friendly and informal competition. When I checked a few minutes ago, Colorado Springs was winning.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thursday, 22 November 2007 - Thanksgiving
Dear God:
Today, I am thankful for a special thanksgiving.
Oh Lord, help me serve others with a generous and nonjudgmental heart so that I may be worthy of a stranger's blessing.
About a year ago, a woman posted a short message on the local freecycle message board to which I subscribe. She was desperate for help for her family during the holidays. After we exchanged a few emails, I sent her a check. After she received the check, she sent me a gracious thank you note. Then, we simply went on with our lives.
So, this afternoon, I was quite surprised and humbled to read this email message:
Greetings, I have never forgotten the kindness you did for my family last year; as we give thanks today, I am thankful for kind hearted people like yourself - you are a rare find. I hope this message finds you and your family firmly planted in the hold of our higher power and receiving all the blessings due you. Happy Thanksgiving and Be Blessed, Sincerely The J-S Family
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Today, I am thankful for a special thanksgiving.
Oh Lord, help me serve others with a generous and nonjudgmental heart so that I may be worthy of a stranger's blessing.
About a year ago, a woman posted a short message on the local freecycle message board to which I subscribe. She was desperate for help for her family during the holidays. After we exchanged a few emails, I sent her a check. After she received the check, she sent me a gracious thank you note. Then, we simply went on with our lives.
So, this afternoon, I was quite surprised and humbled to read this email message:
Greetings, I have never forgotten the kindness you did for my family last year; as we give thanks today, I am thankful for kind hearted people like yourself - you are a rare find. I hope this message finds you and your family firmly planted in the hold of our higher power and receiving all the blessings due you. Happy Thanksgiving and Be Blessed, Sincerely The J-S Family
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Wednesday, 21 November 2007 - Good writing weather
Dear God:
Today, I am thankful for good writing weather.
Early this morning, a bitterly cold arctic front dumped about two inches of snow on the neighborhood. Brrrr. The day's high won't even reach freezing. It's definitely an indoor day for S and me. T is the only one who wants to venture outside. We let him race around the backyard and romp in the shallow snowdrifts near the fence. I'm glad that I finished my Thanksgiving shopping yesterday.
Regarding my novel: With less than 8,000 words to go, I'm very close to reaching the 50,000 word goal set by the National Novel Writing Month challenge. I hope to finish by this weekend. No, my novel won't be publishable in its current form so no one but me will ever read it. Besides, I've made too many story transitions and changed the main character twice. Yes, I have created the foundation for a real novel so I guess I can almost call myself a novelist.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Today, I am thankful for good writing weather.
Early this morning, a bitterly cold arctic front dumped about two inches of snow on the neighborhood. Brrrr. The day's high won't even reach freezing. It's definitely an indoor day for S and me. T is the only one who wants to venture outside. We let him race around the backyard and romp in the shallow snowdrifts near the fence. I'm glad that I finished my Thanksgiving shopping yesterday.
Regarding my novel: With less than 8,000 words to go, I'm very close to reaching the 50,000 word goal set by the National Novel Writing Month challenge. I hope to finish by this weekend. No, my novel won't be publishable in its current form so no one but me will ever read it. Besides, I've made too many story transitions and changed the main character twice. Yes, I have created the foundation for a real novel so I guess I can almost call myself a novelist.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Tuesday, 20 November 2007 - One turkey
Dear God:
Today, I am thankful for one turkey.
When the local meat market called yesterday to inform me that there might be a problem with my turkey order, my heart sunk. What would Thanksgiving be without an organic Wisdom turkey?
The problem was serious. Apparently, when Wisdom began processing the meat market's order, it discovered 50 missing turkeys. These were the large ones, over 20 pounds in final weight. And, I always order a Wisdom turkey in the 22-25 pound range.
I was rather embarrassed when the sales person asked me how many people I needed to feed. I told her two. Then, I felt that I needed to explain further.
"Well," I continued, "the meal is mainly for my husband. My dog and I eat a little. I freeze a lot, too." I think she understood and told me she would put my name on the largest turkey in the store.
To make a long story short since I'm saving as many words as I can for my novel, the meat market found a turkey weighing close to 22 pounds for yours truly. I picked it up this morning.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Today, I am thankful for one turkey.
When the local meat market called yesterday to inform me that there might be a problem with my turkey order, my heart sunk. What would Thanksgiving be without an organic Wisdom turkey?
The problem was serious. Apparently, when Wisdom began processing the meat market's order, it discovered 50 missing turkeys. These were the large ones, over 20 pounds in final weight. And, I always order a Wisdom turkey in the 22-25 pound range.
I was rather embarrassed when the sales person asked me how many people I needed to feed. I told her two. Then, I felt that I needed to explain further.
"Well," I continued, "the meal is mainly for my husband. My dog and I eat a little. I freeze a lot, too." I think she understood and told me she would put my name on the largest turkey in the store.
To make a long story short since I'm saving as many words as I can for my novel, the meat market found a turkey weighing close to 22 pounds for yours truly. I picked it up this morning.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Monday, 19 November 2007 - A new voice
Dear God:
Today, I am thankful for a new voice.
My novel has a new voice. The voice belongs to a 10-year-old girl growing up in a small mountain village in Colorado. She just popped into my head as I began today's writing session. And yes, I see a lot of me in her.
I'm really glad I found her (or, maybe she found me). She has a strong and lively voice. Because of her, my novel is now over 34,000 words. I feel that I will make the 50,000-word goal easily.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Today, I am thankful for a new voice.
My novel has a new voice. The voice belongs to a 10-year-old girl growing up in a small mountain village in Colorado. She just popped into my head as I began today's writing session. And yes, I see a lot of me in her.
I'm really glad I found her (or, maybe she found me). She has a strong and lively voice. Because of her, my novel is now over 34,000 words. I feel that I will make the 50,000-word goal easily.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Sunday, 18 November 2007 - Something to say
Dear God:
Today, I am thankful for something to say. Just in time, too. I was beginning to feel the onset of writer's block again. By the way, my novel is now over 30,000 words long - less than 20,000 to go!
Writing comes more easily if you have something to say. ~Sholem Asch
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Today, I am thankful for something to say. Just in time, too. I was beginning to feel the onset of writer's block again. By the way, my novel is now over 30,000 words long - less than 20,000 to go!
Writing comes more easily if you have something to say. ~Sholem Asch
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Saturday, 17 November 2007 - 27,444 words
Dear God:
Today, I am thankful for 27,444 words - the current length of my novel. I feel more confident than I did a few days ago that I will reach the magic 50,000-word mark by November 30.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
Today, I am thankful for 27,444 words - the current length of my novel. I feel more confident than I did a few days ago that I will reach the magic 50,000-word mark by November 30.
For this blessing, I am grateful.
Amen.
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