Surcee

surcee (sur'-see) n. [orig. Scottish or Irish] a small gift given for no particular reason



What surcees have you been given that touched you? What surcees have you given? Can you give someone a surcee today?

Waiting

What a blessing it is to wait. I sat at the base pharmacy today, waiting for my antibiotics and reveled in the excuse to sit and read a magazine, with no other obligations or demands on my attention. Waiting has such a bad reputation. People get so impatient waiting for service, waiting for a light to change, waiting for a cautious driver to turn ahead of them, waiting for class to end, waiting for water to boil, waiting, waiting, waiting.

Wait.

Breathe.

Wait.

Breathe.

Relax.

It all gets done. Eventually.

Slow

Today's blessing is surrendering to The Slow.

The Slow envelopes us when we're sick, and reminds us that all the rushing and hurrying we do when we feel well is just silly.

Why do I have to get sick to appreciate The Slow?

How can you slow down to appreciate life more?

Cool Washcloths

No haiku today, but I am grateful for cool, damp washcloths on a sick face.

This weekend has not been fun so far, but those wet washcloths were so comforting, and with gratitude on my mind, I also thought how being sick was jumpstarting weight loss.

Oh, the things we will do to turn a yucky situation into a positive!

Light

In the beginning
God spoke the light in darkness,
waves and particles.

My boys, my golden girl, and I went for a walk this week. The quality of the evening sun's light made the world glow.

And it was good.



When have you noticed the light, lately?

Running Smile

You're late leaving school,
I pull forward and brake,
wait for the running smile.

Jack was held in the building a bit late this afternoon, and he knew he was late. He left the building running, with a smile, to my car and climbed in. Then he surprised me. "I'm sorry I'm late! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" As he entered the car, the running smile was somehow replaced by panic, worry that he was in trouble. I have no idea where that panic came from; perhaps his teacher had urged him to hurry.

But I just wanted the running smile back.

The running smile is such a blessing.

Whose running smile thrills you? Whom can you bless with a running smile today?

Easy Conversation

Is three hours enough
to catch up on a summer
apart? For friends, yes.

With the return of kids to school, I've been able to catch up with some friends lately over coffee, lunch, tedious volunteer work. How precious are those times when people who've barely said hello or seen each other enough to wave across a crowded fellowship hall or grocery store reconnect, pick up where they left off, listen and talk, hug and encourage! The easy conversation flows so naturally, randomly, and comfortably.

When did you last have an easy conversation of reconnection with a friend?

Hair Shirt

I wear a hair shirt
made of black cotton fiber
swirled with gold dog fur.

Daisy's fur goes with us everywhere we go, clinging to us like hugs or kisses, clear evidence of her enthusiastic, loving presence in our lives.

What nuisance in your life can you embrace as a gift, a blessing, just by being thankful for it?

Involuntary Breath

I breathe in and out,
over and over without
a thought. Glorious!

Just think of all that our bodies do without our conscious direction. Our hearts beat, blood flows, muscles keep us sitting up, we walk upright. We are breathing, pumping, flowing, sitting, walking miracles.

What are you grateful for in this moment?

Radical Gratitude

Please read the About tab for details.



I'm not a radical, but the concept of radical gratitude seems right to me. How can we be radically grateful for the many blessings in our lives? What would happen if we embraced an attitude of radical gratitude daily, hourly, by the minute?

Let's find out. Together.

I'm going to list things I'm grateful for...big things and small things, urgent things and prayerful things, insignificant things and mundane things, natural things and man-made things. Things that are important. That I notice. That beckon. That are broken. That work.

Things I am grateful for.

I might use poetry or prose, haiku or one word. There's no right way to be grateful.

Except to be radical.

Radically grateful.


1. The sound of insects at night.

A sound engineer
Can parse the sounds of insects
at night. I can not.

To me, they sound like
the background radiation
of God's first deep breath.

Now it is your turn. What are you grateful for, right now, in this very moment, as you read this for the first time.