* " So how are you doing?" asked (so sincerely) my homeschooling confidante with four children six years old and under - a hero in my eyes who spends her long days meeting her family's many needs and her evenings at the hospital with her dying father.
* "Your book brought me comfort," a mother wrote to me - a brave, brave mother - a mother who's endured a whole heck of alot - more than I have.
* "Mom, you're snuggly," my nine-year-old told me yesterday. "I see other moms and just can't imagine cuddling them."
* I received a text earlier that said "love u". It made my morning.
* My brother submitted the following to our parish's lenten recipe e-mail exchange:
Peanut Butter Sandwich
2 slices bread (white or wheat)
3 tbl peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
Spread peanut butter evenly over one slice of bread with butter knife. Add second slice of bread. (Also good with jelly, jam, marmalade, or preserves.)
so that made me smile.
* Sixteen years ago today, I read a Walt Whitman poem at that same brother's wedding. I got a sister whom I cherish more and more all the time out of that deal.
* My youngest child would not hear of me leaving the house this morning without at least a green necklace on. She got wind of some disturbing rumors about random pinching and was horrified. I'm glad she's got my back.
* Tonight is book club. My favorite.
* It is warm enough today to wear my femine white spring jacket instead of my coffee stained brown down coat.
* Speaking of coffee, I just drank some with a neighbor while our kids played.
* Our sidewalk is covered in chalk drawings.
* I was gifted with wise, caring advice from someone I would consider both a mentor and a friend.
My pick from the Lent Bucket was: "List ten things you are thankful for." I thought of twelve blessings (some more soul provoking than others) - a dozen reasons why my life is precious.
