Five Fall Favorites

I'm back and it's still Fall. I've got a little better attitude today after reading a friend's successive "thankful for..." blog posts. I'm not quite that ambitious (to record it daily) but here are a few of my favorite things to be thankful for today...

1. My office

It is an enclosed porch off the back of our house which is surrounded by windows. Yes, that means it's usually cold/hot depending on the season but it also means something not all that common in this big old house - LIGHT! Lots of beautiful Fall sunlight. Like now when it makes the perfect leaf-dancing shadows on the blinds. Amazing.

2. Five Star Christmas Trees

I love all of Christmas but, most of all, I love the look and smell and overall being of a Christmas tree in my living room. Last year I ordered from Five Star and it was AWESOME. It got here the first week of December and was still beautiful at the end of the Christmas season (I mean Epiphany, BTW, not December 25th). If it's just as fresh this year, I think I'll make an argument to leave it up until February 2nd ;0)

Give them a try. www.fivestarchristmastrees.com If you order before the end of the day and use EARLYBIRD2013 you can save a bundle!

3. Redemptive Suffering

I mentioned my foot as a "fail" in the last post. I have been coming to see it in a more positive light these days. Since it's pretty certain to not be fixed for quite a while and since it still hurts quite a bit I've been trying to be more conscious of offering my suffering as a chance to lift up others and draw myself more deeply into the mystery of the Passion.

This is a good article on Blessed John Paul II and suffering. We were just watching the "kid" version of his biography on EWTN. It always strikes me that a man with so much trauma in his life, from the very beginning, could be so joyful. What a wonderful example for us!

4. Singing in a foreign language

I have no idea. It just seems more angelic to me somehow.

Maybe it's just the high little voices.

5. Travel.

God willing this time next week we will be here...

on our way to here...

I don't even know which/how many I'm taking. I'm just soooo happy to be getting a change of pace. After having the ability to pick up and go whenever and wherever for so many years, I'm looking forward to seeing some old familiar sights and people. I am the truck-drivin-man's-sis after all ;0)

We are blessed. Enjoy your weekend!