Small Success Thursday

For a time, I inherited a Catholic meme called Small Success Thursday, but as the weeks passed, no one came.  I liked counting my blessings and recounting the triumphs of the past seven days but it seemed more of a song of myself than a honest assessment of how God's grace was working in my life and through it.

Besides, I told myself, this is a humor blog (or was), so having this oddity in the middle of the week didn't quite work, except it did.  Humor is a form of grace, and humor is pain+time=healing.  Ergo, having a moment to say Thank you, to recognize how humor had carried me through things, is important.  So it doesn't matter if no one plays. It doesn't matter if no one comments. It doesn't matter if other blogs have far more people participating in their weekly formats, including me.  What matters is recognizing every week, that this past week, there was grace. This past week, grace abounded.  This past week, I would not have survived without grace.

So I'm restarting it.

This week, I am thankful for...

1. My husband.  He wrote me many letters over the past two weeks when he was away so that I could hear his words and know his presence even in the midst of trying to get 10 people settled for the fall and ready for school.

2.  My daughters.  Every one of them brings me something different.  My oldest is a confidant, someone I can talk to as an almost adult, and she often knows what's going on with who in the house and keeps me in the know. She also gives great hugs when they are most needed and can rally the troops.  My next oldest nurtured her younger sister over the summer. They went jogging, they shared beauty tips, musical taste, went shopping together, and ultimately, it helped the younger one blossom and the older one feel rather wonderful about helping her to begin to fly.  My middle daughter is always generous of heart.  She cares deeply about her siblings and is first to offer a bandage or an ice cream. She also served as a tutor for one of the younger sisters.  Pinky Pie keeps me soft.  She is soft, so she requires that I stay soft.  And my fearless one gives the best huggies, in part because they are random so you get squeezed at any point in the day.  It's lovely. She also likes to play uno and will tell me, "Mom.  Pay attention to the game." No multi-tasking with her around.  And the youngest, she dances, she sings, and being two, her favorite words are "Mom.  Look." and that is what she does, call me to wonder, "Mom.  Look" and there is a deer or a butterfly, or a sunbeam or a shadow.

3. My sons keep me laughing, they are also en route to being solid men.  The oldest takes charge. He makes dinner unasked, and even does the dishes sometimes, unasked.  He thinks about birthdays long before they arrive and no one has a dearer heart than he.  My next can be the kindest soul, he took charge today when there was a crisis, he obeyed when it was absolutely necessary and has shown that kind of courage in the past.   He struggles with our large family as it is overstimulating to him in many ways, but he also loves them fiercely and always wants his siblings outside and playing.  He is also very generous to the poor, often giving away much of his money from birthdays or other chores.  My next son is sweet. He is my morning bird and comes to help with making breakfast. His natural default setting is kind.  His natural tendency, to say yes when asked to help even if the task is yucky.  My youngest is impish and sweet and mostly non verbal, but he understands his siblings.  When his sister cried, he ran to get her a drink.  When his brother knocked on the door, he ran to get help to open the lock.  He comes into my room in the morning and says, "Mom! Wake up!"  He claps three times and turns on the light before heading to the kitchen.  

4.  This blog, which allows me to wind around all of the things that happen and to remember them in internet amber.  The past two weeks we've had an ice machine break, the dryer quit for a time, trips to three different airports, a computer crash onto the floor, homework meltdowns, a job that kept the oldest out until 12:30 every night, teacher meetings, doctor appointments, lab tests, open house, a book launching, a holy day of obligation in addition to Sundays, and two kids with the sniffles.  I haven't bought school supplies or shoes yet for all of them.  We are reorganizing for fall so the basement is carpeted with toys until we get them all sorted.  My cup runneth over, but as I learned of other people's sufferings, I know, there is always a bigger cross.  Mine is nothing, it's just work in the vineyard which I agreed to do.  Now I have to joyfully will it into being.  

So Happy Small Success Thursday even if it's late.  You can join if you wish.  I'll be here next week too, counting my blessings and realizing, all is grace.  All is grace.