365 Days of Blessings, Days 177 and 178

I'm continuing to count my blessings, and give thanks, but today's post is bits and pieces of writing from my journal yesterday and today . . . which I think link up to make a numberless list of blessings.


snow crunching walk by
moonlight, staring up at branches
dancing overhead in gusts
and the white covering the mulch
of leaves and brambles,
my dogs bound with ears flying
and I leap after them, renewed
by wonder, starlight, the deep bite
of cold on my cheeks and a thought
of God’s love made manifest in
this moment, and long ago
in a stable, and all the moments
when we share His joy


and

delicious fat flakes floating gently downward remind me of:
snowball fights, forts snowmen, and snow angels

laughter echoing on still streets

neighborhoods full of play with cars buried in snow

famlies making soup and hot chocolate

warm kitchens that glow, card games

neighborhood enemies making peace for a shared hearth

my dad teaching me how to drive out of a spin in an icy parking lot

flurries of snow hitting my windshield as I drove to work at a ski area at 16

the one time our car broke down on the way home from skiing, and after growing wet and cold inside our snow gear while slushing down the road, someone gave us a lift, and we melted puddles onto the DQ floor while we drank hot chocolate in sleepy warmth

skiing with snow whirling around, biting my face, a glorious adventure of fun in the elements, staying warm from the downhill runs, and huddling together on the chair lifts

Plus, I'm also extremely thankful for:
a family from our Monday co-op who gave us a ride home yesterday

my dad, at age 73, helping me retrieve my car


and then yesterday there were these wonderful moments of joy:
writing and sharing snow and Christmas stories with my writing class

making snow goons/people

my daughters trying to sled down Grandma's little hill

helping my dad change the tires on his car, and getting the smell of grease on my hands, remembering how to jack up a car, and how to use the tools that he taught me to use so long ago

eating dinner by candlelight


Scripture Blessing from this morning:"Again he said, 'What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yes when planted it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.'
With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say antying to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything." Mark 4:30-34