I appreciate:

• That I managed to save my sister-in-law’s delicious gf cookies for later instead of calling them breakfast.
• That waking up at 4 am + Melanie’s gift of gf muffin mix = banana muffins for breakfast (remember, instead of cookies??)
• Knowing that I can take a nap this afternoon and possibly even get some work done then!
• That we’re on the road to Pat’s recovery.
• That I’m past the half-year mark in my year of posting daily gratitudes. I didn’t even notice. This practice has been so incredibly helpful – especially lately. Coolio. 🙂

We appreciate:

• The beautiful view out the window
• The sunshine
• The chemo drugs that will help Pat return to good health
• The sunny disposition of our chemo nurse, Emily.
• Coming home this evening to another delicious meal! I don’t know when I’ve felt so pampered….
• And I appreciate the kind look from the pharmacist tonight when I was sorting out which meds Pat is supposed to start tonight. It was so full of gentleness & sympathy. So sweet.

I appreciate:

• Last night’s laughter yoga for reminding me that I like smiling (smiling’s my favorite)!
• Melanie and Mary for their infectious, amazing laughs and encouraging words. (And thank you, Melanie, for the gf muffin mix. I can’t wait to try it. ♥ )
• Show X – oh, how I missed you! Thank you, Mike and Eric, for all your shoe/misdirection/slow clap games, and Jill for your movie synopses, and Tim for your line, “Someone went to Tom and made him not alive.” 🙂
• Good cancer news. No cancer in the bone marrow. Yay!
• Our amazing vets for their gentleness with Gracie and for helping us figure out ways to keep her more comfortable and encourage her to eat.
• The truly incredible support of our friends. After our long, long day today, (hospital all morning, vet all afternoon) Terri’s delivery of Thai food at the end of the day was the most amazing gift. So delicious (way better than the toast I’d’ve made) and we felt so exquisitely cared for. We are feeling blessed. ♥

I appreciate:

• Valentine’s Day flowers all over the house. I don’t care that it’s a made-up holiday. Flowers is flowers!
• Clean kitchen in the morning. So worth the extra effort last night.
• Calendula. Makes the cut on my finger feel much better.
• Oh – and this bandaid. Makes my finger feel purdy. 😛

I appreciate:

• That preparing for my presentation at the MS Society conference next week reminded me of the benefits of Laughter Yoga. Did you know that laughter quickly increases the count of natural killer cells (NK cells) – a type of lymphocyte that plays an important role in eliminating cancer cells from the body? I’d forgotten that!
• Oh, and of course, I appreciate Laughter Yoga. We’ll be adding this to our daily routine (instead of just weekly) along with tai chi and “regular” yoga. 🙂
• I am unbelievably grateful for my wonderful and dear friend, Terri, who has set up a meal site for us for the duration of Pat’s chemo. We are so lucky. ♥
• And in case you want to follow our journey (and not have to rely on me remembering to update you!) here’s the CaringBridge link.

I appreciate:

1. My persistence (stubbornness?). Even though I’m super crabby this morning, I am determined to find things I appreciate!
2. A good night’s sleep. I know that’s not a NEW thing to be grateful for, but holy moley, it felt good to sleep more than 5 or 6 hours for a change.
3. Fingernail clippers. Hey, I didn’t say I have to come up with 3 BRILLIANT or INSPIRING things to appreciate every day… 😉 And they are really handy – much nicer to use than teeth or scissors. 😛

I appreciate:

1. Having Katie home. It is so nice to have the whole family around right now.
2. The way cancer teaches/inspires/requests gentleness. We are all so much gentler with ourselves and each other right now.
3. The daisies! These are the flowers I bought for Pat right before our ER trip 2 weeks ago — and they’re still sending their happy vibes into our home. 🙂

I appreciate:

1. Adrenaline, which is, apparently, what’s gotten me through the past couple weeks. 😛
2. My big purple couch, which is the perfect place to collapse when the adrenaline has left my system. 😉
3. The prospect of a whole evening of collapsing after we get home from the biopsy today. Tonight we’re gonna rock the Valentine’s Day sweats/movie/snuggle on the couch scene!

I appreciate:

1. That we’re starting the experimental improv segment in HUGE 501. So far, I’ve loved all the exercises and scenes we’ve done. Yay for brand new things!
2. The Christmas lights still up in the kitchen. Their soft light cheered me up when I woke up (too early, anxious) this morning. (It was darker then!)
3. Oh, and the fact that it’s getting light out at 7 in the morning now. Longer days. Hallelujah! 🙂

I appreciate:

1. The generosity and kindness we encounter at every turn these days. This morning, all 3 cars were being ticketed (snow emergency) when we ran out to move them. Pat explained that we’d been at the hospital all day yesterday because we just found out he has cancer. The traffic cop shook his hand, offered his sympathy, and left us with no tickets at all. ♥
2. GF Wildberry waffles.  Yummy!
3. A day at home: no tests, no medical jargon, no waiting. Just work, cleaning, and napping. Bliss!