saying grace

You say grace before meals.
All right.
But I say grace before the play and the
     opera,
And grace before the concert and
     pantomime,
And grace before I open a book,
And grace before sketching, painting,
Swimming, fencing, boxing, walking,
     playing, dancing;
And grace before I dip the pen in the
     ink.

How grateful I am for so many things.  And how happy that gratitude makes me when I let it fill up my heart and soul.

This summer has been one full of gratitude.

There are the big things like meeting exceptional doctors and researchers who are willing to put in so much time and effort to help BBS families (HERE) and feeling enveloped in love at my family reunion.
There were things I pondered that made me fill up with gratitude, like one Sunday I sat in church with my sister-in-law’s family and marveled at how I now carry her last name, and she carries another.  How I want to live up to the legacy of that name and how grateful I feel to belong to it.

There were little things like how my brother can fix anything and can keep our 20-year-old boat running to cart the kids all over the lake and the way Lucy’s eyelashes rested on her cheeks when she let me snuggle her close at church.

I was so grateful watching my new little niece who is doing so well despite her heart troubles, and watching my children be able to snuggle up babies since we have no more in this growing-older family of ours.

I have about worn my poor kids’ little fingers out writing thank you notes this summer, there has been so much to be grateful for.

But even more important than thanking those we love and who have done so much for us, I hope that they can remember to “say grace” to their Heavenly Father, from which all blessings come.

I hope they will remember to thank Him for the tough stuff as well as the grand things.  Because that’s what makes us stronger.

If you ever want to catch a session of this beautiful program on Sunday mornings, there are links HERE that you can click to watch.

Nothing like starting off the Sabbath with some gorgeous music and thoughts to get my mind and heart geared up for the day.