It was a booger of a morning. Besides starting at five am, I’d had two hard conversations even before my first cup of coffee. Life is like that. She’s not polite, and she doesn’t care that Monday mornings are overwhelming to me no matter what time they begin. In fact, I think she had a lot of fun exploiting my o’dark-early start.

By the time my pumpkin spice latte hit my lips, I was going to need more than a frou-frou cup of caffeine to pull me out of the pit I was sliding down.

I came home and had a few minutes to myself before waking the boys to get ready for their co-op. One thing this homeschooling family is NOT good at is getting up and out the door early. I thought I’d sweeten the deal and make some cinnamon buns (from a tube) and sausage links for the early risers. Buns out of the oven, I put the links on and ran to freshen up before we left.

Jeff was just waking, and he looked like he might have a compassionate ear for my pitiable self.

Wrong.

Jeff is compassionate but not big on pity. And he doesn’t like to come to my parties. He wanted to tell me the truth.

I wasn’t in the mood.

As I walked out of my room, I was greeted by smoke. There in the kitchen lay eight black sausage links. So much for my “Monday Morning Mom” award.

I shoulda skipped this day.

Out the door with threats flying, I drove to the first drop and said good bye to Sam.

We have about 45 mins in between drop offs, and today I needed to deliver the Operation Christmas Child boxes we’d put together (late, so we’d missed our church’s collection).

I pulled up to the church and followed the signs for the drop off.

I couldn’t help but imagine the literal millions of joyous faces these boxes represented.

Driving away, my day wasn’t seeming quite so terrible. I was acutely aware of how much I have been blessed. I felt privileged to be able to share just a little bit of that blessing with a couple of children only God knows where.

This is the privilege of the blessed. To share. Thanks-giving begins with the recognition of God’s gifts to us.

Our gratitude finds its completion in generosity.

And again we are blessed.

1. a sunny sun room
2. that first sip of coffee each morning
3. seeing Em sit and seek
4. pulling Sam into my lap
5. Sam pulling my hair down
6. the excitement of Josh coming home
7. One Thousand Gifts Devotional
8. a cloudless, blue sky
9. caring advice from a friend
10. breakfast coffee with my friend Claire
11. afternoon coffee with my friend Rene
12. amazing birthday gifts from Rene
13. sleeping in
14. how a “to do” list that never ends = so much life
15. God’s blessings on my Arbonne business
16. roasted salmon & asparagus with rosemary (and the ensuing awe & appreciation of my family 😉
17. watching “Brave” together
18. a text from my boyfriend inviting me to lunch
19. my Pilates Reformer class
20. Daniel in Rome
21. family reuniting tomorrow