The Finch Family - 2011

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for the Finch Family - 2011.

The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven - 
All's right with the world!
~Robert Browning
 
It's been a few years since S and I hosted avian tenants who successfully raised a family.

Several weeks ago, a young Finch couple built its nest in the Christmas wreath that hangs on our front door - a near-perfect spot to raise a family. The tiny mother laid her eggs, then hunkered down, enduring a few weeks of unseasonably cold, wet weather.

As is our practice, once a bird couple builds its nest in the wreath, neither S nor I use the front door. T did not understand, at first, but soon mastered the routine. The "new" way to the front yard, neighborhood and park is through the garage.

The eggs hatched about 2.5 weeks ago. Last week, the babies were downy balls with no discernible features. Today, the fledglings have real feathers and adorable faces. The one in front seems to be scowling at me - didn't want a nosy landlord to take its picture. 

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.

A quiet birthday

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for a quiet birthday #57.

It's been a tough year, personally, especially with my dad's death 10 months ago and T's declining health.  Despite my daily struggles, I am still here, writing, working hard, climbing well, cooking interesting dishes, planning this year's garden and trying to make another small dent in the Universe. I know that I am well past my half-life, unless, of course, I live to 114.

I'm on vacation today and celebrate my birthday in small ways - it's inappropriate to call attention to myself especially with everything that's going on in the world. A chilly morning walk in the park with T (one very, very slow lap), a haircut, a birthday card from my work colleagues with a really nice note from our CEO, a new tube of Gabrielle black mascara and a hard but exhilarating training session with S at the climbing gym. I wish I were in France but will settle with chatting with Fasten, the delightful foreign-exchange student from Paris who is on the gym's high school climbing team.

All in all, a quiet but favorable start to my 58th year.

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.

A remembrance

Dear God:

Today I am thankful for a remembrance.

I last saw my dad exactly one year ago. I returned to Manhattan Beach for my parent's 60th wedding anniversary celebration at Matisse restaurant.

I remember a lot of things about that evening - what I wore, what we ate, who attended - that Mom and Dad were happy to see me. Most importantly, I remember, that for whatever reason, I had the privilege of sitting next to Dad during dinner.

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.

A timely gift

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for a timely gift.

A bitter cold morning with sub-zero temperatures, again. Arctic cold fronts just love to settle along the Front Range. To top things off, I had a really bad morning at work and just couldn't shake off the negative energy and offense.

Fortunately, my guardian angel made sure that this oft cited quote from Dean Koontz found its way to me.

Not one day in anyone’s life is an uneventful day, no day without profound meaning, no matter how dull and boring it might seem, no matter whether you are a seamstress or a queen, a shoeshine boy, or a movie star, a renowned philosopher or a Down’s-syndrome child. Because in every day of your life, there are opportunities to perform little kindnesses for others, both by conscious acts of will and unconscious example. Each smallest act of kindness—even just words of hope when they are needed, the remembrance of a birthday, a compliment that engenders a smile—reverberates across great distances and spans of time, affecting lives unknown to the one whose generous spirit was the source of this good echo, because kindness is passed on and grows each time it’s passed, until a simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage years later and far away. 

Likewise, each small meanness, each thoughtless expression of hatred, each envious and bitter act, regardless of how petty, can inspire others, and is therefore the seed that ultimately produces evil fruit, poisoning people whom you have never met and never will. 

All human lives are so profoundly and intricately entwined—those dead, those living, those generations yet to come—that the fate of all is the fate of each, and the hope of humanity rests in every heart and in every pair of hands. 

Therefore, after every failure, we are obliged to strive again for success, and when faced with the end of one thing, we must build something new and better in the ashes, just as from pain and grief, we must weave hope, for each of us is a thread critical to the strength—to the very survival of the human tapestry. 

Every hour in every life contains such often-unrecognized potential to affect the world that the great days and thrilling possibilities are combined always in this momentous day.

~Dean Koontz in From the Corner of His Eye

 

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.

The power of one

Dear God:

Today, 1.11.11, I am thankful for the power of one.

The Power of One is not just one of my all-time favorite movies, it's also something in which I believe.

• One person
• One lesson
• One prayer
• One snowflake
• One kiss
• One song
• One small step
• One sip
• One smile
• One gift
• One heart
• One tree
• One death 
• One poem
• One dollar

can change a life,
inspire a journey,
transform the world, and
make an irreversible dent in the Universe.

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.

Sore muscles

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for tired muscles.

The good news. S and I climbed long and hard at the rock gym on Saturday and Sunday. Not bad for two boomers. Today, I am tired and a little stiff. Makes sense to take a break from strenuous exercise. I'm not completely off the hook - still have to stretch and work my abs.

The bad news. I don't get to climb and already miss the workout and our friends at the gym.

I'll be back on Wednesday, however, ready to master another section of the traverse and try a more difficult bouldering problem or sport climb.

Yes, my worst day of climbing always beats my best day at work.

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.

Sunshine

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for sunshine.

The recent Arctic front was an unwelcome new year's guest with its bone-chilling cold days, sub-zero nighttime temperatures and icy roads. Brrrr. So, so cold.

This morning, the sun's warmth is a true gift. The thermometer reads a chilly 28 degrees F, but it feels like a balmy late spring day. Look Mom, no jacket!

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.

A new year

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for a new year.

For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
~T.S. Eliot, Little Gidding

One resolution I have made, and try to always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things.
~John Burroughs

This year, I resolve:

• To be more generous than ever with my time, talents and resources
• To rid my life of clutter and excess
• To write and read more (i.e., to watch less television)
• To improve my skills every time I climb or boulder
• To be kind to everyone who crosses my path
• To rise above the little things 
• To be grateful in all situations

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.

Important People

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for important people.

New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet, no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights. ~Hamilton Wright Mabie

As I peruse the list of "important" people who died this year, I realize that the media forgot some notable names. None are celebrities or athletes or billionaires. They are simply humans and canines who matter to people who matter to me:

• My dad
• My work colleague, Pete
• Kathleen's mother
• Cortney's grandmother
• Judy's mother
• Kelly's brother
• Sage (Kathleen and Steve's beloved Australian Shepherd)
• Greta (CS's beloved Weimaraner)
• Ted Eastburn

The holidays just weren't the same without them. 

For these blessings, I am grateful.

Amen.

Merry Christmas

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for Christmas.

 I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. 

~Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol 

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This Christmas Day, I pause to remember some of the good things in my life:

• T is doing well.
• S and I are healthy and able to climb several times a week.
• I have a job, a wonderful manager and health insurance.
• My cup runneth over a little bit which means I can give to others less fortunate than I. My cause in 2011 is hunger in our community. I wish I could give a lot more.
• My sister, E, who, despite the distance between us, always remembers to include me in her life
• Our "family" at the climbing gym - not just the owners but all the climbers we've met who care about us
• Our Air Force Academy cadets who, as juniors and seniors, are now highly accomplished men in all areas of life.

Wishing everyone, everywhere a lovely holiday season. Merry Christmas!

For these blessings, I am very grateful.

Amen.

Happy Birthday, T

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for T as he celebrates his 14th birthday. He is still a svelte 72 pounds who enjoys his daily walks in the neighborhood, snowy days and lots of treats. Always the lover boy, T remains very popular with all humans and younger canine buddies.

T on his 14th birthday

I think that this Navajo chant is T's daily prayer because he lives each day with such delight:

May it be delightful my house;
From my head may it be delightful;
To my feet may it be delightful;
Where I lie may it be delightful;
All above me may it be delightful;
All around me may it be delightful.
~Navajo chant 

For this blessing, I am very, very grateful.

Amen.

Thanksgiving

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful.

Thanksgiving comes to us out of the prehistoric dimness, universal to all ages and all faiths. At whatever straws we must grasp, there is always a time for gratitude and new beginnings.
~J. Robert Moskin

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder

Again, I find it very hard to embrace the holiday season with a joyful heart. It's been an exceedingly difficult year - too many personal losses and challenges. I'm surprised I made it this far without serious consequences. Fortunately, I have my health and, hopefully, enough time to finish my life's mission.

We spent a quiet Thanksgiving Day at home - the climbing gym was closed and it was far too cold to do anything outdoors except walk T around the park. At 11 AM, we listened to Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant on the local public radio station, a Colorado Springs tradition. I cooked a simple meal while S watched football and T napped. The day was tinged with sadness - S and I know that T's remaining time with us is very short. I hope he makes it to his 14th birthday on December 18.

For my many blessings, I am grateful.

Amen.

First Snow, Final Harvest

Dear God:

Today I am thankful for our first snow and my garden's final harvest.

Winter arrived late yesterday afternoon. Finally, my colleagues and I sighed as we monitored the plunging temperature on Google weather. Yes, the nearly 80 degree F temperatures last weekend were divine but, alas, too good to be true. 28 degrees F. Now that's more like it.

And the snow. Swirling and whirling around people and cars and buildings and trees and scrub oak. Arriving  just as the rush hour traffic peaked. Hours later, the storm finished her work. Her gift: over three inches of fresh ice and snow covering everything.

This evening, I check the Swiss chard that has been feeding me since June. Sadly, I realize that the hardy plants will freeze tonight, that it is time for my garden's final harvest.

The ceremony is very quick. I carefully cut the remaining leaves with my favorite shears. Then, I wash and roughly chop the leaves before adding them to the homemade vegetable soup that simmers on the stove.

This year's vegetable garden was my best ever. The Colorado weather cooperated, I fertilized the plants monthly and, most importantly, I didn't have the time or energy to fuss over the tomatoes. As a result, we enjoyed a delicious and healthy bounty of fresh organic food: cherry tomatoes, monster zucchini, Japanese eggplant, Swiss chard, strawberries, raspberries, Goji berries, cayenne peppers, jalapeno peppers and herbs (rosemary, oregano, basil, thyme, chives, tarragon, sage, mint, lovage and sorrel).

I think that Dad, an expert gardener in his own right, would have been proud of my results.

For these blessings, I am grateful.

Amen.

Halloween Visitors

Dear God:

Today I am thankful for Halloween visitors.

In case you're keeping track:

• This year's count: 11 young trick-or-treaters, one parent dressed as Tom Brady (the New England Patriot's quarterback) and several other parents not in costume. I bought goodies for 20.

• My manager and her husband had nearly 350 visitors at their home. They eventually ran out of candy.

• Finally, my team at work won the first annual Halloween decorating contest. The company is buying us lunch at the restaurant of our choice.

(Sadly, unlike past years, T did not run to the door whenever the door bell rang. He got up only once, when across-the-street neighbors, Bryson and his dad, stopped by.)

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.