Grace 4/365

I do not remember hearing the word consecutive mentioned in this challenge, so I'm gonna take "every day" and translate that to..." out of 365 random days in any given time period, do a Grace post for each of them". That said, how about getting on with today's...

*Short work days
*frozen homemade spaghetti sauce
*Rubik's cube
*The furminator (yes, it really works)
* weather so nice I needed to use said furminator on the wee fuzzies.

Grace 3/365

* waking up on time even thoughI accidentally slept on the couch
* Watching movies at work
* Brita water
* peanut M&M's on sale BOGO
* getting to bed early

Grace 2/365

* Egg Mcmuffins
* Very silly almost 13 year old boys
* Deck chairs in the sunshine
* P-Dub's Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatos
* cozy slippers

Grace 1/365

* Random Chips Ahoy delivery at work today...just because
* new neighbors
* The smell of a brush fire that is contained and poses no threat
* cuddly bathrobes
* fresh sheets on the bed

Tuesdays Child

Does everybody remember this nursery rhyme?

Mondays child is fair of face,

Tuesdays child is full of grace,

Wednesdays child is full of woe,

Thursdays child has far to go,

Fridays child is loving and giving,

Saturdays child works hard for his living,

And the child that is born on the Sabbath day is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

I'm Tuesdays child, I think, somehow, I missed out on the grace part. Grace, either physical or spiritual, is not necessarily something that comes easy to me. Physical grace? My mastery of physical grace is laughable at best, that my house does not have a staircase, is a fact that strikes me as a graceful turn of events. I was raised in a home with a staircase and my managing to survive until adulthood is nothing short of miraculous. I shudder to think of how "graceful" I'd be if not for 10 or 12 years of dance classes. You know that teeny, weeny, tiny metal transition strip on many department store floors? Yeah? The one that's supposed to make the store safer? I've tripped over it...numerous times.

Grace is defined by Dictionary.com as

grace  –noun
1. elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.
2. a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment.
3. favor or good will.

Physically, "graceful" may be beyond my grasp (I'll settle on making it through any given day unscarred) but "elegance or beauty of manner" may be within it. I was seeking definition to a quality, I have before, called "finding the silver lining", when I encountered schmutzie's blog and her project Grace in small things, this paragraph of her's said everything I had been struggling to put into words...

"The world we live in is loud and harsh and bright and demanding, and it is easy to slide into a less than thoughtful survival mode in which we do what we have to do to make it through the day with the least amount of strife possible. This robs us of the time and energy to be mindful of ourselves and those we love and to recognize the grace that exists in small things.Read more: "Schmutzie.com: Grace In Small Things: A Challenge For All Of Us" - http://www.schmutzie.com/2008/11/grace-in-small-things.html#ixzz0AWZvDkNa

I find myself all too easily slipping into the negative, to dwelling on the "not so good" parts of life, forgetting or not even noticing all the wonderful, perfectly lovely, little bits of life that help make it bearable. Not just making life bearable...making my life delightful to me.

The Grace in Small Things challenge is to post 5 positive things in your life every day, its a challenge that has intrigued me for some time now, a challenge that I need, a challenge that I gratefully accept (Thanks Schmutzie)

Happy Birthday!!!

Can you do me a favor? Pretend that the little blue date at the top of this post actually says March 3, 2009. Ok? Just quietly go about your business, pretending that I DO NOT have insane procrastination skillz and return to our regularly scheduled warm and fuzzy post.


Dear Catherine,

17 years ago today(ish), I had no idea that my beautiful daughter was being born.(sorry 'bout that. If I had known, I'd have bought you a bib or box of diapers or something). I met you 7 years later and knew from our first date (Toy Story 2 and Dairy Queen, remember?) that I wanted you, as a part of my life, forever. You were so confidantly outspoken for a 7 year old, so adorable with your silky dark hair cut in bangs, you would jump fearlessly at any opportunity to try something new, with a zest for living life to the fullest, a skill that, even today, I find myself needing to consciously remind myself to do.

As you have grown up, your silky dark bangs have grown out and your adorableness now combines with beauty. You never cease to amaze me with your ability to jump confidantly into a new situation (or 50 degree swimming pool).

Though, your heart, beats as a warrior's on the basketball court, you never fail to give your team mates praise or reassurance after a mishap. Your clever wit and enormous heart are evidenced by the, also amazing, young women who call you "best friend" and choose to spend their time with you.

I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of your life. I am so proud of the young lady you are becoming and I love you and proudly call you daughter, not because I gave birth to you, but, because you are part of my heart.