Jane strews flowers in cups
and mugs and vases all over the house.
On the piano, a rose, red as lipstick.
On the sideboard and my nightstand,
huge balls of hydrangea,
gray-violet and palest blue.
On the table, a bouquet
of honeysuckle and daisies,
their yellow eyes bright under white petaled lashes,
and the pointed purple caps of butterfly bush.
In the bathroom, a single pink penstemon blossom
perches in an old pimento jar on a glass shelf.
She hands me two pieces of paper,
brightly colored as the flowers she’s gathered.
“Happy birthday, dear Mama,” is painstakingly
printed in the sky above a patch of grass
and a forget-me-not.
On this tired Thursday, I thank God for:
2622. Birthday cards
2623. Birthday bouquets
2624. A book from Susan, who also…
2625. …made dinner…
2626. …did the dishes…
2627. …swept the floor…
2628. …and gave me the gift of starting the week with a clean house!
2629. A telescoping lens from Doug (how well he knows me!)
2630. Strawberries with biscuits and whipped cream, all homemade, all from Jack, who turned it into a work of art.
2631. A weekend outdoors between a river and a mountain.
2632. Waterproof tents that kept us dry on a rainy night.
2633. Joel and Nina, who stayed and helped us break down our tents (in the rain!) even though their gear was long since stowed away in their car.
2634. Tree stump forts and the kids who build them.
Your turn: What are you thankful for?
Please list three or four (or ten!) things for which you’re grateful down in the comment box. Let’s lift up a hymn of grateful praise to the Giver of all good gifts!
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Linking today with Ann Voskamp, who inspired the gift list in the first place.
