Winter Sun, Getting Things Done

I have amazing miracles in my kitchen! One is this gorgeous "Christmas" cactus that John bought for me last year. It's been hanging over the sink, pretty much gasping for water most of the time. John took it down a couple of times and soaked it in the sink ... and recently noticed BUDS! Now it's in bloom. Look how beautiful!



The afternoon sun was so warm and delicious when I got home (early). I love sunshine ... even winter sunshine. And I love light and shadows. And I love that I get to capture them to enjoy long after their short, ephemeral presence is over.



Last night, I spent two hours applying for a Federal PLUS Loan for Parents. I'm grateful I overcame the challenges in the website and Sallie Mae personnel, to complete the process (including the correction of the amount we're applying for!). I'm grateful for the one person out of four I spoke to who seemed to be a thinking human being instead of a living answering machine. And I'm grateful it's done!

Mack greeted me this afternoon very insistently. I couldn't stay home and cuddle him (that's him in the picture with the computer), but he persisted ... climbing onto the kitchen table and into my arms despite my protests. I snuggled a minute, and wondered out loud if he was trying to tell me something ... checked the food dishes downstairs and discovered they were completely empty. He's such a clever kitty!

Finally, I'm grateful for the progress on the work necessary to make Summer Assembly 2009 happen. We're very close to being on target with our project dates, we've got a GREAT leader, and although there's still plenty of work ahead, it's nice to feel confident instead of frantic. :-)

Light and Shadows, and the ability to see

I almost walked right through this scene, hurrying to my car at the end of the day, without doing more than noticing -- but not really pausing to admire -- the artistic quality that had naturally occurred here.

The sun was shining, the air was crisp, and I'd been wishing for several days that I'd brought my camera to photograph the yellow and "black" tulips planted on the UWM campus, no doubt to echo the black and gold campus colors.

I didn't expect a masterpiece in grays.

I'm so grateful I had the camera with me, that I took the moments to snap these photos, and the delight I'm feeling at how they turned out.

Mostly, I'm grateful for whatever it is inside me that notices things like this, and urges me to pause, to truly take it in, and to experience it with delight, wonder and awe.