Gratitude (Another Fabulous Flip Flop Sunday)

It’s 1:10am and I should be sleeping, but I haven’t felt this good in a long time and I want to enjoy it. I want to at least attempt to capture in writing what I am feeling because it is goood. It is a feeling of deep, joyful gratitude. I believe that it’s been building up in me since my birthday (10 days ago), but it was today that it really broke through and made its presence fully known. The day began, as my Sundays often do, with KFOG’s “Acoustic Sunrise” streaming on my laptop as I drifted in & out of sleep. Camille called amidst my languorous slumber, but it was quite early and I wasn’t ready for contact with the outside world. Once the threads of sleep finally loosed their hold on me, I called her back. She was with The Celestial One so I suggested that they both come over for breakfast. I cooked up a generous batch of my famous French toast and we enjoyed al fresco dining on my balcony. Good food is so much better when shared with good friends. After breakfast, The Celestial One went home to study, I brewed another pot of jasmine tea and Camille and I brought the laptop out to peruse some of the 80 replies she had received in response to her most recent CL ad. The entertainment quotient was high indeed. There were many laughs to be had and a number of the replies included photos, but the cream of the crop was an online album of stunning photographs of the respondent and his dance partner in various tango poses. Wow.

After two hours of CL entertainment, we decided it was time to get out and stretch our legs, so we walked to the beach. It was a gorgeous, sunny, warm day. (I was wearing shorts! in November!) We were walking and talking and laughing, thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. There were lots of other people out enjoying the day as well, and lots of dogs running and playing, chasing balls, having fun in the surf, and I was just overwhelmed by this wonderful feeling of gratitude bubbling up in me. I stopped and looked out at the ocean and said to Camille, “Isn’t this amazing?! Today has been a perfectly gorgeous wonderful day.” What’s even better is the fact that this wonderful feeling of gratitude has stayed with me. It wasn’t until I was listening to Naba speak on the topic of Thankfulness at our church gathering this evening that it occurred to me how very appropriate it is that I am experiencing this attitude of gratitude now, as Thanksgiving approaches.

Must sleep now. To be continued...