Oleta Adams, Get Here

When I was pregnant with The Peanut, we almost lost her at 2 and a half months.  The ride to the emergency room was one of the longest of my life, and resulted in several weeks of complete bedrest for me.  This song was my lifeline, the one that soothed me as I hit repeat on my CD player, the one I hummed to my belly as I prayed for everything to work out...the one I would sing softly as we waited for the next ultrasound.  It was the first one she heard from me after my marathon labor, in the wee hours of the morning when even the nursing staff had settled into the front desk for the night, as I counted those tiny little fingers and toes again and again, not quite believing we had made it.  And it is still the one she asks for in the rocking chair after a nightmare.

Some songs and some voices just hit you where you live.  For me, this song was how I kept going through all of the rough days -- and I listen to it now with a tear in my eye, thinking about how lucky we truly are.  And I will love Oleta Adams for this gift forever.

It is so easy, in the day to day nastiness and heartache and frustration, to miss the things for which we ought to be grateful.  Thought I'd share a few of the things for which I've been grateful this week:

-- Penzey's mulling spices.  Toss some into a crockpot full of apple cider, a sliced orange, and a little sugar (if the cider is tart), and in a couple of hours you have a warm mug of heaven.

-- My new DVD copy of A Room With A View.  Yes, I know it's stiffly acted in parts, and that the original Forster is amazing on its own, but I adore Simon Callow as Mr. Beebe, Daniel Day-Lewis as Cecil, Maggie Smith as Charlotte and Judi Dench as Eleanor Lavish.  And the scenery...one of these days, the English countryside is calling my name.  And so is Florence. 

-- The leaves have begun to turn.  And we woke up to that crisp feel in the air this morning.  This is my absolute favorite time of year, and in the next couple of weeks, the leaves will turn to the jewel-like tones of Fall.  It won't be as gorgeous as last year because we've been fighting through a bit of a drought, but the dogwood leaves have already started turning to that ruby red, and the cardinal pair has been keeping an eye on the berries to see if they are ready to be devoured.  Have I mentioned that I love this time of year?

September has seemed awfully long for a number of reasons.  So, let's pause this morning for a little gratitude and a moment or two of exhale.  Because, frankly, we have all earned it.  What made you smile this week?  Pull up a chair...