With Gratitude

Seriously - how could you look at this
face and not feel gratitude?

During a weekend snuggle, I whispered to the daddy: "I'm thankful that you're my husband."

His response? "You've been using that phrase a lot. Is it part of your 'nonviolent communication'?"

At the time, I was actually, genuinely feeling quite thankful for my partner in life and love, and, no, my saying so was not inspired by my reading or discussion of the book Nonviolent Communication. The fact that my words seemed out of character, however, makes me think I may not be expressing my gratitude enough.

It's quite possible that my feelings were inspired by the steady flow of gratitude that has been moving through the blogosphere, inspired by Amanda at Let's Take the Metro. I suppose I had better join her in sharing five things I'm feeling particularly grateful for this week.

1. Great friends. It really hit me this month how many meaningful connections I have been able to make on Guam in a relatively short time. I have so many people to be thankful for - people who look out for me, make me laugh, keep me busy, and serve as both a support and an inspiration. I am continually humbled by the awesomeness of the people in my life.

2. Siblings. My baby sister turned 21 this month, and my brother turns 18 in a few days, so they have been on my mind. I'm really thankful for the history that we share, together with our 4th sibling who didn't have a recent milestone birthday, but is equally as awesome. I grateful that despite the huge physical distance between us, I know they're all just a phone call away. I am a little jealous that they all got to celebrate together last weekend, though ;)

3. Sleep. I have been a bad, bad blogger for the past week or two because I keep curling up in bed to nurse Annabelle and instead of getting up to write when she's done, falling asleep myself. This has translated to a lot more sleep than normal for me and, while I miss writing, I'm really grateful to not be feeling like zombie-mom, too!

4. Health Care. I was really disappointed with the treatment I got after my immersion blender incident, and then I regained perspective: I was able to walk into a clean hospital and receive care, and then I was able to see a specialist for follow-up visits. When my toddler had a mysterious rash recently, I was able to have her seen by the pediatrician the same day, and when her daddy was having issues with his wisdom teeth, he was able to go right in to be seen as well. Having access to care is a huge deal, and I feel fortunate.

5. The Babe. I think this period of development - with a new word or skill emerging practically every day - is my favorite so far. I have a renewed sense of how much my life is enriched by my daughter's presence in it. She amazes me.