Gratitude offering

The closing speaker at my work conference yesterday spoke about living a full life as a quadriplegic after a car accident. One way she does this is by keeping a gratitude journal. I related because I also, before I lie down at night, try to give pause for every gratitude that I can think of. Days like yesterday I don't do so well - exhaustion after a long, stormy workweek, followed by a failing broadband connection that kept me from checking the conference start time, ending with a lost diamond ring from my mother. Driving home, I decided that trying my gratitudes on paper might help.

I am grateful...for the new things I learned at the conference today.
...for better weather so I didn't miss the second day too.
...for a wonderful neighbor who snow-blew my driveway after both storms.
...that my accident did not leave me a quadriplegic.
...for Chad's question about medical school that challenged my thinking during the sessions.
...for time with my friends Karen & Chelsea, and a delicious dinner with Lorrie.
...for a little extra money to splurge at Godiva!
...for words in a book - "No excuses" - that came exactly when I needed them.
...for Dan giving me music and borrowing me a movie he thought I'd like.
...for parents who cared for my dog for 8 days while I lived away from home.
...for a repaired broadband connection once I got home.
...for mail that included an invitation to godbabies Spencer & Megan's 2nd birthday party - born at 23 weeks and given no chance of survival.
...for lavender baths and luscious new 350-thread count sheets.
...for the gorgeous blue glow coming through my window.
...for, after searching my entire house, finding my ring 2 seconds after I lowered my head and asked God to show me where I'd dropped it...about a foot from where I was standing.
...and finally, for neighbor kids who helped me nab Emma, who was busy figuring out how to climb over a fence while I was typing this blog @^&$%...