With Thanks

For my husband and sons who play soccer under a sliver of moon as I hold the baby and rub my toes in the dirt, content to be together as a family on this beautiful evening walk...

For the sight of tiny fingers clenching fistfuls of red, orange, and brown leaves before scattering them to the wind...

For wrapping up in blankets and strolling through the cemetery as we utter prayers for those who have died...

For drinking mugfuls of warm apple cider "to make our tummies feel cozy" as we read Paddington  together...

For kneading freshly-ground wheat into loaves of honey-touched bread...

For hearing Scripture verses about death and the Second Coming when we attend Mass...

For the anticipation of the upcoming reflective, penitential simplicity of Advent...

For museums where my children can frolic and play and laugh and discover and learn about this beautiful world that God has created...

For the joyous cries of "dog!" that my baby utters as she happily crawls into the backyard in the morning light to greet our furry neighbors...

For the crisp, fresh air that we greedily gulp as we run out into the grass together...

For impromptu playdates with friends, complete with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that are hastily slapped together to feed the masses...

For the holy men and women who have gone before us, showing us how we can live for God in this fallen world, and for the feasts on which we celebrate them...

"Pope cake" for the feast of Pope St. John Paul II :) 

For horror novels and spiritual reading classics that turn my gaze onto the deep work of interior purification that needs to happen in my own life...

For the grace of the sacraments that absolve me of my sins and allow me to adore and eat the flesh of my Savior each week...

For all men and women, young and old who build up the Body of Christ in their unique ways...

For playing in the yard as a family in drizzles of rain as the sky is lit by flashes of distant lightning...

For all these gifts, I thank you, Lord.