Gratitude - Day 17

"Joy is the simplest form of gratitude."
Karl Barth
Today was a first for me. Well not actually a first, but the first in a long time. I had some women over for a planning meeting for the Guild of the Christ Child and lunch. I'm not a really fancy-schmancy entertainer but I can set a pretty table. I served two kinds of quiche, and a pretty green salad. Actually one of the guests made the salad, all I had to do was throw it in a bowl and toss the dressing on it. I found the whole process to be quite enjoyable. There is something to be said for sitting around a table eating and gabbing.
I enjoyed the company but after the ladies left I wondered something about myself. Am I anti-social? I don't see how that word would really apply, because the very act of having a luncheon is contrary to the notion isn't it? I mean if you go to the trouble to invite people to share a meal with you, then you can't really be anti-social can you?
So what is it when in the middle of a conversation going on around you, you decide you'd really rather be some place else? I decided there was too much negative talk going on. The kind where there is way too much discussion about who did what and who said what. I tried to change the subject but somehow it kept going where I didn't want to go.
The good news and the reason I'm grateful today is I turned out some good food. I haven't made quiche in a coon's age. I combined two different recipes then added my own twist! Usually I stick close to what the recipe says to do. For some reason this morning I was adding garlic, splashing on lemon juice and acting like the Merry ME version of Iron Chef! Right now the kitchen is a mess, but the yellow roses still look pretty. I may just go sit at the table and read my book.
Speaking of my book. I finally got to Izzy and Lenore by Jon Katz in my queue. I have followed Katz's blog for so long I figured I'd already know what was in the book. I must say I am sorry I didn't move this one to the top of the pile sooner. There's just something about reading a good dog (or cat, or pig, or sheep, or donkey ....) story. And Katz has a delightful storytelling way about him. I've been in an on/off email correspondence with him since reading his book Running to the Mountain. If I ever write a book and go on Oprah and get really famous, I hope I can remember to be open to my readers the way Katz is.
I'm also grateful for dad's hospice nurse. I watched and listened today as she spent time with him. She's quite gifted. We are blessed to have her.
Today, I wish for you some good food, good conversation and a good book. Life seldom gets much better than that.
Merry ME

Comments

Sorrow said…
I can see you trying to steer that conversation, and having them bless your heart right back to where they wanted to go. It's all in the effort, ~laughing keep nudging.. it'll make you grateful you did.
(((((BIG OLD HUG))))
November 17, 2009 at 5:54 PM
Molly said…
hmmm. i've been in a situation where you just don't think you can bear to listen to more negative. i have had some emails from Jon Katz too. I was quite surprised. I haven't read any books since I read the one about his troubled dog, Orson, which was about the time I had to put down an agressive dog. Oh she broke my heart. but life moves on...i may have to try this one you've just read.
November 17, 2009 at 9:48 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Every Little Bit Helps

Image
UPDATE:  I'll be picking a winner on Thanksgiving Day. So make a donation and leave your name in the comment section below.  ME UPDATE:  I see a tiny problem but it should be easy to fix. Commenting anonymously doesn't get your name in the drawing. And there's no way to tell Anonymous A from Anonymous B. Are you different or the same? I need to be able to get back in touch with you somehow. We can exchange email addy's later. But please at least leave your name. If you still comment as Anonymous, just say your name in the comment.  You can use first name and last initial. Or last name alone. Or an Alias. Just so I can get your name in the hat. And really, thank you. Thank you again and again. Merry ME _____ I always breathe a sigh of relief when a storm veers away from Jacksonville.  At the same time it's hard not to feel guilty that it went somewhere else.  I was in no way prepared for Hurricane Sandy. Like a lot of others, I felt like the...
Read more

An Easter Miracle

Image
How is it that after someone you love dies, time moves on even when it feel like its standing still? Philosophers, poets and writers have tried to answer that question since time began. I don't have the answer. I just know that, by what I can only imagine is the Grace of God, it does. When you heart is broken into something resembling a 1000 piece jig saw puzzle and there are no directions on how to put it together, somehow it mends. When some else dies and it cracks again, God stitches the old wound and the new wound together into a patchwork of healed scars. Fifteen years ago, when I watched my mother draw a breath then counted the seconds before she took another but none came, I sat by her bed and tried to imagine being a motherless child. Then I did what any kid would do, ran down the long hospital corridor sounding the alarm. "My mother isn't breathing." "My mother isn't breathing."  Want to see doctors, nurses, CNAs, and cleaning ladies tur...
Read more

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY BLOG PARTY

Image
In honor of women everywhere ... Welcome to the International Women's Day Blog Party (Turn up the sound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuB3_HLcFfk ) International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. To this end, this party is a way to honor those special ladies who have inspired us and made us better than we ever thought we could be. It is with gratitude and pride I welcome you to my blog. I'm anxious to hear your stories and celebrate your choices. All you have to do is go down to the bottom of this post and click on the comment section. That will take you to another page where you can write your tribute in the space provided. You can use your Google/Blogger user name or remain anonymous. There is nothing to join. If you choose to post anonymously please leave your name in the comment section so we'll all know who you are. When you're through hit publish and voila your lady is o...
Read more