Gratitude

Two weekends ago, J and E spent a sunny afternoon at the Moloney-Reber hobby farm out in Sooke. There were new baby ducklings and E got to hold one of them. He was so enchanted that he didn't want to let the duckling go. J was so so enchanted that he took this photo of the moment.

Little hands holding a little feathered body. Little hearts beating with the excitement of something new.

J wasn't there to see this moment in the making -- she was, as she often is these days, at work. But she is grateful to the Aunt and Uncle who invited her boys to share a day at the farm. She is grateful that J took his camera so that she might have this photo now to share with you.

She is learning to remember to be grateful. It's easy to feel tired, cut off, left out and overwhelmed. It's easy to feel that she's taken on too much, given back too little. That she's doing things wrong. That things are falling apart.

Remembering to be grateful is an act of self-preservation. It is a way to shoulder weariness without succumbing to the weight. It is uplifting when a lift is most needed.

J can sit here now feeling great and full, although she is away, for soon she will be home and the night will be warm and light. There is so much to be grateful for.