Gratitude List

I don't normally post on weekends, though I may do another round of the NaBloPoMo in February ... it was good for me to have my writing as a focus and a distraction last spring, and it would be a good exercise to work on again now.

But when I saw on Leanne's From Chaos Comes Happiness that there is a gratitude blog hop hosted by Maxabella Loves, I just had to join in. I have been mired in stress and a bad cold/bronchitis and many other miseries this week, and yet it has all shown me that I also have extraordinary blessings to be grateful for:

Jeremy and his dad, Stuart (my ex-husband), who have taken me in for several days and shared their home, their food, and their love when I've been not only in crisis but also sick with either a bad cold or bronchitis (it's a little of both). They've brought me medicine, made me chicken soup, tucked me in when the Nyquil put me into a coma, complimented me on the meals I've cooked for them, worried about how much weight I've lost so quickly because of stress, and most of all welcomed me when I needed refuge. Here's a funny: Stuart even cleaned the bathroom for me! (And if you know Stuart, he makes Oscar Madison look like Felix Unger, so this was astounding!) They have made me feel at home when my own home was no longer welcoming.

My beloved friend Wendy, who picked me up last weekend and took me out for distraction and company, listening and empathizing as I whined and cried and poured out my broken heart. She has let me rant, question, debate, wail, and vent to my heart's content by phone, in person, by email and by chat. She has even offered to come help me pack under soul-crushingly tense circumstances. I would not still be here without her.

Tom's cousin Kathy, who sent a poignant and lovely comment which truly touched my heart. She's offered me kindness, prayers, peace, encouragement and hope ... she is a good, good woman.

The people I work with, who have been so supportive as I've been so miserable and frazzled this week. One gave me a ride to the repair shop where my car was being worked on, saving me from standing in the snow and waiting for the bus. Another, in particular, has gone so far beyond the usual roles of "co-worker" and "friend" that I cannot adquately describe what a truly rare gem of a human being he is -- a mentsch to show all the other mentsches how it's really done.

My blogging buddies -- particularly Robin, Leanne, Judy, Michelle, Beth, Karen, and April -- whom I've never met but who have offered such generosity of spirit, such warmth, such affection, and such affirmation. I've always maintained that people bond over food, and it seems that I've bonded with some wonderful women here, even though we've never actually shared a meal together!

I am immensely grateful to have been immersed in so much kindness and friendship and love when I've been so suddenly shocked and uprooted. It kinda makes me feel a bit like Jimmy Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life," when everyone rallies 'round him at the end to help him out of a mess he didn't create but found himself caught up in. Every time a bell rings, know that each of my angels listed above has been given a brand new shiny, sparkly set of wings ... :)