Gram's Place

22. Weight Watchers Bonus Points. 23. 81 degree breezy summer days, warm, and cool, all at the same time. 24. diet coke. 25. The book of Ecclesiastes and the realization of what is of value in life. “A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than one day of birth” Ecc. 7:1  26. Beauty that is deeper than the surface of one’s outward appearance. 27. yellow flowers on sedum in the summertime. 28. a balanced checkbook 29. sincerity. 30. An honest answer.

14. sunflower seeds, salty and nutty. 15. half lemonade/half tea 16. weight watchers bonus points 17. white cheddar popcorn seasoning. 18. fresh veggies 19. vacuum cleaners 20. appliance repairman 21.  technology

I have been reading Ann Voskamp’s book “One Thousand Gifts”.  In her book, Mrs. Voskamp recites things she is thankful for.  Not a bucket list, rather a list that encourages us to find joy in our insane lives.  She speaks of finding joy in the midst of our sometimes dark lives.  This book has helped me tremendously as I have walked through the loss of my mother-in-law, whom I dearly loved.  Challenged me to breathe deeply the cup of sorrow.  If we did not know sorrow, how could we ever understand pure joy? Some friends challenged each other to begin our lists as well… things we are thankful for….things that encourage us as we walk through our lives on this earth.  I started.  1. Quiet time to think, pray, reflect, remember. 2. Tiny toes from beautiful babies. 3. The bold aroma of coffee brewing in the morning. 4. Memories of beautiful people, of days gone by. 5. Ice water, crisp and clean. 6. Crisp, fresh sheets. 7. Little girl hair in the summer that smells like a wet

I haven’t blogged in so long, I’m not sure I know how to do this. But, this week, I have some things I want to say.  Things I want to record in some way…. even if it is just in this blog.  Things that just need to be said. My mother in law passed away this week.  On my 43rd birthday to be exact.  Tonight, as I lay there trying to sleep, I had to remind myself that this wasn’t a dream.  Although it doesn’t seem real.  I keep expecting it to just be a bad dream.  As I lay there, I calculated where our lives were when she was 43.  The year she turned 43 was 1987.  That was the year Shawn and I had our first child.  I had never really been around children much.  It was so scary for me to have children.  But, Marge was there for me.  She taught me so much about babies… how to change diapers, how to burp them with just the right amount of strength….how to test the bottle temperature on my wrist…. I still sing the lullabies she hummed to my girls as I rock my granddaughter. She taught