July 1

Lisa's first son was only a few weeks old when we decided to take him out to coffee with us. She had reluctantly given him to me to hold and as we waited to be seated, I pretended that I was his mom. It was a nice little daydream until I whacked his poor little infant head against the side of the table as I tried to slide into the booth. I'll never forget the horror on Lisa's face. I had to really beg after that for her to let me hold him again.

I'm grateful that I didn't cave the side of his head in or cause any major permanent damage that day. He married his sweetheart, Krista, this morning and the two of them were radiant in their happiness. My one piece of advice for your future would be to always keep a box of matches in the bathroom. I can't remember who gave me that same advice years ago, but they were right. Have a happy ever after, you two!

June 30

I'm grateful it's Friday and I'm looking forward to this long weekend with all of the Fourth of July festivities.

June 29

I'm grateful for the slow, quiet, and methodical task of weeding. Especially when wine is part of the unwinding.

June 28

I do believe that God created the human back to make having friends a necessity, but when they aren't immediately available, a well-designed backscratcher can pinch hit pretty well.

Tonight I'm grateful for my backscratcher. It works like a charm.

June 27

I'm grateful Hart's garden is doing so well this year. The corn is taller and more green than we've ever seen it in past years. And finally, after trying unsuccessfully forever, the vine crops are actually growing and look healthy. Watermelon! Pumpkins! Cucumbers! Yay!

June 26

I'm grateful for the lives and good health of my family and friends.

We started the week out with news of the sudden death of a former co-worker. Kevin had a heart of gold and always let Luke look at bugs through his microscope. When he worked here, he kept a big old bag of candy near his station that my children would inspect regularly. He'd freely share it whenever they'd ask. He was a good kid and I'm grateful we were able to know him.

He would have turned 22 on Sunday.

June 25

I'm grateful today for Em and Inne's invitation to come and swim in their pool. The water was warm and the company delightful.