Grateful

I have read and listened to many a reflection on the power of gratitude in a person's life. I have believed, on a for-everyone-else level, that gratitude can reset your perspective, giving you energy and rest in the midst of challenges. I have longed to believe in and accept the restorative power of a grateful heart in my own life, but have never quite been able to grasp it.

Until now. I am finally settling into a new life that I embarked on 2 years ago: marriage, graduate school transition, apartment living. As my new job feels more comfortable and invigorating than scary, and as I enjoy having evenings to recreate and enjoy time with my husband, my mindset is changing. The quiet, still voice that can identify and praise blessings has found it's backbone again. I find my default thought patterns shifting from downtrodden, exhausted frustration to rose-colored hope and thankfulness.

I don't know if it's the financial security associated with a 2nd income, the ability to enjoy activities with friends with newfound funds and time, the end of the constant evaluation of graduate school, or the warm welcome of the coworkers in my new job-- but something about the past few weeks has wiped away the grime from my viewpoint and given me a fresh, hopeful outlook.

In addition to the many little things I find I am grateful for in the quiet moments of every day-- I am most grateful for the deeper paradigm shift that has allowed me to live from a place of gratitude.

Christmas 2011- Rest and New Recipes

I think Christmas 2011 will go down in the books as one of the most "unChristmas" feeling Christmases of them all.  Between the unusually warm temperatures, lack of snow, and Christmas-on-the-weekend, Christmas this year just never quite settled in.  We made the most of it and managed to have a meaningful and restful season together, but hope to have a more Christmassy Christmas when we're both through school, more settled into our home, and without Sunday/Christmas Day morning worship.

Here's a taste of the Christmas we were able to enjoy:

Quiet Journal Time

Warm light from a sunrise to greet the day

A beautiful tree

A new tradition for Christmas Breakfast - recipes to follow

Cookies, of course 

And plenty of them...

The Ole Stomping Grounds

About 48 hours spread over 3 days is all we could afford for a mid-summer escape to the north woods. After arriving late evening, we spent the early morning taking in our 40 acres in Bayfield county (and for my husband to get a collection of June berries-- which are beautiful but not my favorite flavor).  We explored new wild blueberry picking grounds along an old forest service road and picked nearly a gallon-sized bucket of huge, wild blueberries.  Lunch was breakfast-style at our favorite (the only, really) Delta, WI establishment: the Delta Diner.  We wrapped up the adventures with a brief stop into camp to chat with Mike and look for friends before heading south again.

Starting in urban Seattle, then moving to rural northern Wisconsin to small-town northern Wisconsin I have experienced life in a variety of settings, dabbled in living locals you could say. Back in Minneapolis now, my husband and I have had a few conversations about what sort of place we can see ourselves settling down in. Before I moved from small-town Wisconsin, I was pretty confident that urban was my setting.  Now that we've returned to urban life, I could see myself being content with a rural or semi-rural home. Perhaps this is "greener grass" syndrome, but I think it's just an instance of having my dreams clarified. Who knows where we'll end up. Right now, we're very flexible in that we're renting in Minneapolis at least until I'm through with my school program. After that, who knows.  It's nice to not have things set in stone, to not be painted into a corner.  Some days, when I spend time with folks who are established in home, career, activities, etc. I'm envious of their security.  For right now, though, I'm grateful for the open canvas that is our future.

What could, one day, be our driveway

On what could, one day, be our street

June berries that grow here-- not as good as wild raspberries, but not terrible

The view across the street

Wild blueberry-picking, one of my very favorite summertime activities, was very rewarding this year. We found a huge patch that seemed to have endless, large wild berries-- so much so that we picked for over 2 hours in one setting!

These beauties have already been used in breakfast for a week and in a dessert or two.  Not to mention the bags that were frozen to take us through the winter.  Yay for wild berries!