Noticing

I might as well admit it…

this has been a hard week to notice gifts.

Stuff happened.

Some things personal…some professional…some profound…some just plain stupid.

Several days seemed to land on me at once.

This always happens when I’m speaking.

My daughter is serving on a retreat team this weekend, and her week left her bumped and bruised as well, a tad worse for wear.

So tonight, I’m sitting in a quiet house, listening to piano music that makes me wistful and sad and peaceful all at once,

and I type out my little list of treasures found lurking around the unnoticed corners of this week:

3 gifts found:

A blog post that helped gel the scattered thoughts I’ve had for Ladies’ Gathering

PicMonkey!—to replace Picnik

Classroom resources that might keep me from completely going off the deep end next year

A gift bent, broken, beautiful

My worn copy of Annabel Gilham’s The Confident Woman

Three pencils in a row, as I try to write out longhand thoughts that come too quickly to type

Tiny purple blooms tucked into a vanilla bottle and delivered to my desk with a plate of fresh banana bread

3 gifts in the kitchen

Aforementioned banana bread

Having time last week to make lasagna and grilled chicken for weeknight meals and lunchboxes

The coffee pot at 5 a.m.

3 gifts loud

Worship music

My husband’s voice when he laughs

A bird outside my window Saturday morning

Be blessed today,

Ginger