With Mother's Day soon upon us, I am so grateful for my mom. Her fight through the cancer and with her liver transplant has amazed me. We have grown so close during the 6 week journey. Now that we have been home and life has returned to normal (that setting on the dryer) we don't see each other as much. That's probably a good thing as we were both a little stir-crazy toward the end! But the bond is still very strong. I love my mom and would gladly give up another 6 weeks of my life to be with her! My best ever Mother's Day present, my mom.

A Gift Salty, Sweet, Just Right

Mmmmm! Food!
My first thought with this part of the joy challenge was the gift of food. But my second thought was otherwise. God gives us wonderful gifts that we often describe in food terms!
1. Salty. Tears. A friend and I teared up today, talking about our parents. What a wonderful gift, to be able to cry salty tears with a friend.
2. Sweet. The sweet sound of laughter! Mom and I checked out some wonderful shops on Whyte Ave. In Chicken Scratch we found a wonderful card that we laughed and laughed over, so hard that we cried!
3. Just Right. Mom's doctor has given her permission to go home instead of staying in the city. So we will be back home in a couple of days. Yay!
What a wonderful group of gifts today. Thank you God.

3 Gifts that made you laugh

Joy Dare has asked for 3 gifts that make you laugh today. I am usually a very cheerful person with a very distintive laugh. In fact  my chiropractor once found me in a mall once when I had taken a kindergarten class on a field trip. She followed my laugh! But today I didn't see a lot funny. Traffic to the hospital this morning was really bad. And I guess I'm just feeling a little run-down and a lot cranky. Being a care-giver is really hard work. Its a lot like being the parent of a really big sick kid, who you can't tell what to do!
This dare would have been so much easier at home with 2 teenage sons who always make me laugh. So what did make me laugh today?
1. A question a friend had from her 4 year old, "Do fish fart?"
2. My mom telling a funny story to the OT therapist.
3. A child in a wheelchair at the hospital smiling at her mom.

I think I need to look for more laughter tomorrow.

3 Gifts Eaten

Today's challenge from A Holy Experience (One Thousand Gifts Website) is to name 3 gifts eaten. Today I give thanks for
1. The abundance of gluten-free food now readily available. So much easier now than when I was diagnosed with Celiac 12 years ago.
2. Fresh fruit in the winter time. I know that the 100 mile diet is touted, but in Northern climates this would be awful!
3. My new recipe. I love throwing things together for a simple soup. Here is today's.

Quinoa and Chicken Soup

1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup diced onions
1/4 cup diced carrots   (In chef terms this is Miripoix, the base of most soup)
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
Bring to a boil. Add-
1/4 cup of quinoa
Simmer with a lid on for 15 minutes. In the meantime chop one chicken breast and saute until cooked, juices will be clear. Add to quinoa. Add 1 cup more water plus any leftover cooked veggies in the fridge! I used mixed peas and carrots today.
Add 1/2 tsp. of Mrs. Dash and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Makes 2 servings.
Serve with gluten free toast.

3 Gifts Red

March's challenge from One Thousand Gift gave us a list for each day of gifts to find. Today's is 3 gifts red.
1. Blood. Live giving and life saving.
2. Red toenails! Fun, feminine!
3. My red winter coat. When I wear it I feel confident and professional. I also have a red dress shirt that I wear to meetings when I need that extra confidence.

The Hard Stuff

Today, One Thousand Gifts wants you to think about 3 hard eucharisteos. A very suitable one for me today. I had a hard time this morning being grateful. I received news about my Compassionate Care benefits, a leave I took to care for my mom as she recovers from her liver transplant. I have taken 6 weeks of leave, of which only 1 week is left. I finally heard that my claim was accepted but I will only be getting 2 weeks of benefits. I have lost over a month's wages, as the benefits only pay a portion of the wage.
Gratefulness was the farthest thing from my mind. I stomped and cried and even threw a few things. How can I be grateful for this?
1. I am grateful that I didn't know that I would receive this little before I applied. I might not have done it and would have missed out on my time with my mom.
2. I am grateful, that I am even getting this much. This benefit is new.
3. I am grateful that God provides. He has always helped me through before and this is another time to remember to fully rely on him.
Euchariseos. Gratefulness in the hard times.

Three Gifts Round

Today's challenge from One Thousand Gifts is to find three gifts round....
1. My coffee cup, a gift to not only me but those around me!
2. My watch, to remind me that time is a gift. Every second, every moment, every hour is precious and irretrievable.
3. The Sun, or Son. Live giving, warm, Light of the world.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

Why would I consider the Son round? Round implies a circle. A circle is a line completed with no end or beginning, just as Jesus said he is the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. He is the completion of God's plan of redemption for mankind. A circle. "It is finished." John 19:30

Gratitude

I started March out sitting in a hospital room, beside my mother's bed. This afternoon we went for a short walk around the apartment block, past the huge old elms and strolled through a quiet playground. Today's March challenge in One Thousand Gifts was to find gifts in water, wind and white.
1. Water- spring run-off down the gutter carrying last year's leaves.
2. Wind- a Canada goose overhead.
3. White- The snow swirl around a round bale left in the field.

I've always been an optimist, but God is showing me with every moment, just how good He is and how much He cares for me. I read a suggestion a while ago, that to read the scriptures and replace the pronoun with my name. So today's scripture reads, "He put a new song in Brenda's mouth, a hymn of praise to our God." Psalm 40:3.

And I will sing a song of thanks,
For He is mine.