Simple Things

My children often tell me that I am easily amused. This is true. It is almost embarrassing how much joy I find in simple things that might otherwise go unnoticed.

• I love my husband. Really. Truly. With an amazing gratitude and astonishment at my good fortune at having a mate who is perfect *for me*. Every single day, I am thankful for him. Perhaps having known unhappy relationships makes it easier for me to appreciate the good.


• I love my children. Every day. All five of them. I don't segregate into birth children, step children, godchildren, etc. I simply have five children. How did it change from mine and yours to ours? I could say it was a conscious choice, but it is easy to say that but feeling it is another story. So how did that happen? I know it wasn't through any work on my part, and I doubt it was on theirs. I consider it an amazing blessing. I am astounded by the grace with which this blessing transpired, and am humbled by the ease with which the change took place in my heart. The credit is not mine.


• Do I really need to say that I love Jason? Grandparenting is one of the only things in life that not only lives up to but far surpasses the cliches surrounding it. This little boy brings amazing joy to our entire family. In fact, we all attribute the ease with which we have bonded to Jason. Our love for him has melded our family in ways that may never have happened without his influence. One of my favorite things to do is simply listen to him talk. He is a great talker. Snuggling up and reading stories is pretty darn good too. So is baking together. And walking the dog together. The times that only grandma will do are pretty darn sweet, too. He is our bargain entertainment on the weekend. For the price of chicken nuggets, we can be entertained for a day. Given a choice between spending a Saturday with him, or doing pretty much anything else, he wins by a landslide! We are so easy to please around here.


• I love our garden. Gardening is a new preoccupation, and I can't believe I waited all my life to enjoy it. I blame/thank Shirley for my love of gardening. Really. Tomato sandwiches at her house with fresh tomatoes spoiled me for any purchased from the store. And the gardening bug grew from there.


• Another new-ish fun thing yard sale-ing with Floyd Michael. We usually take Emma too. And Jason, if he is around. Who knew it could be fun looking at other people's "junk". But we love spending time together, and enjoy looking at the houses and yards while we are out and about. And the stuff we get for cheap is a pretty nice bonus.


• Flowers. I love flowers. Planting them. Looking at what the neighbors have planted.


• I love organizing stuff. Yep, it is true. Now if only it would stay that way! I love music. Really loud music sometimes. Music that Floyd Michael calls "cats howling" is my favorite to listen to when I am cleaning. Spiritual music is incredibly grounding. Floyd Michael has expanded my musical horizons. I've learned to enjoy bluegrass because he likes it. I love jazz. The feelings it evokes are amazing. Music and emotion have a connection that is hard to explain, but so wonderful.


• I love being with friends. They make me laugh. They make me think. They encourage me to grow, to be better, to do better, not because they nag, but just because they are such wonderful people. I have been fortunate to stay friends with people I've known since even before my oldest was born. We have changed a lot over the years, but at our core, we remain really compatible. I love the longevity of those friendships. There is so much more, but basically


• I really love that I am so easily amused. I love the simple things. Things that don't cost money. Things that most people have, but I don't think everyone appreciates. I am so grateful for the ability to not take the simple things for granted.