Get out your rain slicks and prepare for the deluge; the dry spell has ended. I haven’t forgotten about you, dear reader. In fact, much has transpired since the last update, but this is the first opportunity in over a week that I’ve had to blog.
The plan is a series of small entries so any comments you may have can be applied to the appropriate topic. Hopefully the bite-size chunks will make the multi-course meal easier to swallow. I have no idea how it will look in the archives, but if all goes as planned the downpour begins tomorrow.
As an appetizer, I offer two things:
1) I’m sitting on the back patio right now and
2) I’m glad to have lived another day.
Why mention these points? Because this is the first opportunity I’ve had to use this screened-in space and I owe that to my parents. They used their weekend vacation to paint the walls, install the furniture, and decorate. Now it’s downright tropical. Thanks Mom and Dad.
As for the gratitude, I was pondering the field of medicine today when it struck me. I’d thought about it before: for several reasons, the most recent being appendicitis (in 2002) I would not be here if it weren’t for modern medicine. I knew that fact, but took it for granted. Of course I’m here; it’s the 21st century. But today I understood: if not for doctors (and living in the US), I would be dead. You know what that means? Every day is a blessing. Even the worst day of my life is still a blessing. And the good days like today are icing on the cake.
P.S. My sister Caroline is visiting for the week, which also brightens my day. Oh, and I just had a fat bowl of overripe strawberries. YUM.
over-ripe strawberries as in almost like wine? well of course you feel good. haha. kidding...
i just had the same overwhelming sense of gratitude today, despite the fact that last night was utter hell for me. sigh... at least i can recognize that the sting of tribulations and trials is nothing when compared with the bigger picture. i am, indeed, grateful to be alive and thankful for all kinds of gifts in my life.
Posted by: delara at May 18, 2005 12:30 AMIt's funny that when lots of things happen all at once, you tend to shift your thankfulness scale. I can say that even though lots of crappy stuff happened to me earlier this year that I was very grateful for the experience and also for the amazingly positive and loving things that transpired in and around the bad ones. I guess it will always give me mixed feelings to consider God's tests as soul-improving "gifts."
Posted by: Lacey at May 18, 2005 02:37 PMI'm with ya, Lace. I've always seen it as bittersweet, but it's a great perspective to consider it soul-improving. Thanks.
Posted by: george at May 18, 2005 11:15 PM