Thankful Thursday | with a few cousin items!

This week, I am thankful: 

that my pregnant cousin is feeling a little better

I went to help her yesterday, and while she’s not feeling 100%, she is doing better than before. Yay!

for a body healthy enough to help my cousin

As I was working yesterday, I was thinking about how I am thankful to be in a place to be the helper.

I’ve been in the sick-and-pregnant-needing-help place, and that memory makes me especially thankful to have the health now to help her.

for the way the internet lets me keep up with people

One of my cousins had her first baby this year, and even though she lives in California, I get to see regular updates with pictures of her cute little guy.

In case you’re wondering, I have a lot of cousins: 31, to be exact.

And also, in case you’re wondering, based on all these pictures of me holding baby cousins: I am indeed one of the oldest cousins. Only three were born before me.

that our cat got a clean bill of health

She was due for some shots, so she got a check-up at the vet yesterday.

Aside from being a little too chunky, she got an A+.

(We are always trying to help her lose weight, but no luck thus far, largely because she is L A Z Y.)

that the inauguration is done and that it was calm

I’m thankful that it was 100% smoother at the Capitol yesterday than it was on January 6th. Whew.

(A slightly related aside: a reader wrote me this week with an inaccurate impression of how I view white supremacy and the January 6th Capitol invasion. So, since I haven’t been clear enough: I do not at all think invading the Capitol is appropriate. I do not support racism, white supremacy, or white nationalism, I do support justice and equity, and I want to keep learning how to best show active love to people who do not look like me. Which includes continually looking at my own heart for prejudice and racism, and figuring out ways I need to grow and change.)

the beautiful blue sky I’m looking at as I type this

Yes, the trees are bare and the grass is brown, and there’s not much green to see; this is true.

But it is also true that the sun is shining in a blue sky. 

And it is also true that I have a window to see this through!

for the delicious pear I just ate

Hungry Harvest sent me some pears over a week ago, and they are just now getting soft enough to eat.

I often get the timing of my pear-cutting wrong; I either go too early and get a hard, chalky experience, or I wait too long and end up with a mushy pear.

But today, it was jusssst right. And a just-right pear is so good.

for all my working appliances

I am on a multi-week streak of everything working, and it is just delightful.

for my quiet neighborhood

People in this neighborhood do have a penchant for setting off fireworks at random times (and for like a week surrounding holidays!), but other than that, it’s very peaceful here, and I am thankful for that.

for the sounds of nature, even in the winter

The other morning, I was standing by the river, noticing all the sounds that are still there in January.

Summer is noisier, of course, but even now you can hear the breeze moving the water and you can hear the birds in the trees.

that there are no bothersome bugs in the winter

I appreciate the zero-mosquitoes situation that January offers. 

that the sun sets well after 5:00 pm now

And at the end of the 15-day forecast on my weather app, the sunset time is listed as 5:31. EXCELLENT.

(Why yes, I do check this every day.)

What are you thankful for today?