it’s been a long time since i’ve sat down to write out a weekly gratitude list. sorry to have neglected you, old friend. let’s see if we can revive this spiritual exercise. the older this soul gets the more tending and nurturing my spirit will need, me thinks.

1} i’m thankful for an absolutely gorgeous week of weather that has allowed for extra time out-of-doors and allowed me to stay active. this body, this baby needs me to stay active. i’m thankful for the cooler temps that have allowed windows to stay open and breezes to be felt.

2} i’m thankful for the extra hours this weekend. extra hours with my husband. extra hours of letting darla stay up without worry. extra hours of alone time. somehow, time stretched out and the universe fit some extra hours in there. the world didn’t seem in such a rush. we had many invitations over the holiday weekend but not many solid, obligatory plans. when we were able to be flexible and say “ok, yeah, we all feel good enough to attend this” then everything worked out perfectly. it was a nice reminder to loosen up and stay flexible.

3} i’m thankful for lots of social interaction these past couple weeks. i can often get very overwhelmed with keeping up with life but i’ve been trying to be gentler with myself and give up the guilt trip of how often i see people, or how often i call, or how long it takes me to respond to a text. it all works out as it should in the end and enjoying the time you have with people face-to-face is the only thing that matters.

 4} i’m thankful for my parents and the support they offer up freely from both near and far.

5} i’m thankful for this body of mine for growing a body of not-mine. these uncomfortable last days of pregnancy require a conscious effort to stay in touch with how well my body is doing while growing this person. and i’m thankful to have another little body, that my body grew 5 1/2 years ago to be my partner in that effort. darla has been wonderfully engaged and marveled by this body transformation and i am crossing my fingers that it will carry forth in her own life and leave her with a positive foundation for whatever role pregnancy may play out in her own life.