Grateful, Gratefuller, Gratefullest

1.  Sister and Son.  Their combined genersoity of spirit, under conditions of enormous adversity, overwhelms me with love and awe.  In the dead of winter, on the awfullest of days, Son would, at nothing more than my plaintive request, drag himself from his warm cocoon and drive me to school.  I have the classic old lady fear of tumbling in the parking lot on invisible icy patches a'la "I've Fallen And Can't Get Up."  Son repeatedly saved me from that humiliation.  He also swept snow off my car and is now my knight in shining laundry armor.  Sister has provided the only sympathetic ear around.  She "gets" the conundrum of our living arrangements and forces me to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.  Bless them both.

2.  Neon orange ear plugs.  Have I mentioned before that this was the best $1.73 that I have ever spent in my life?  Mommy Dearest is in severe denial about her hearing loss and  I have learned that it is pointless to mention it.  (Smack a dog on the nose with a newspaper enough times...) These little gems have enabled me to study despite the 5:30 news blasting me out of my chair.

3.  Dancing Daughter.  School kicked my ass quite often this semester and Dancing Daughter, perhaps because she is still riding the academic landslide herself, provided gloriously welcome feedback, thought provoking questions, and her own special perspective on what I often saw as "plight."  She saw opportunities.  High five, Sweetie!

4.  Comments on papers from Teacher #4.  Funny emails from Teacher #1.  Unexpected praise from Teacher #2.  And total honesty from Teacher #3.  I was a very lucky student.  All these instructors were well versed in their respective disciplines and taught with skill and mastery.  Each has a fine tuned sense of humor.  I actually did "learn stuff about myself" and "grew as a human being."  Quite the treats.

5.  Soon To Be A Bride Daughter.  She's so damn cute, getting excited about her own long time in coming wedding.  It's going to be beautiful, too, simple and easy and welcoming.  I'm so happy that she is learning how much people love her and want to help make that day special for her.  She is a blessing beyond measure and deserves every bit of bliss.

6.  Thank You Card from a fellow student.   SHE had the bad times.  SHE had the horrific life changing crap land on her head.  SHE had to scramble for survival.  All I did was give her a share of the credit on a class project and yet, SHE THANKED ME!  Boy, was I humbled.

7.  Currently Blonde Married Daughter.  Continues to amaze me by the unbelievable job she is doing juggling, the wife/mommy/working woman roles.  If you don't believe me read her blog.  She puts those west coast women with the ever so photogenic children and alternately named spouses to shame!

8.  Five days of rest before summer session.

9.  Summer session.

10.  Another whop-yer-ass thunder storm last night.

Danke' Shorts to All!