Making lists and checking them twice

Busy. It's the word that continues to define my life. Every time I open my e-mail and see messages I need to reply to. Forms to fill out. Descriptions to write. Manuscripts to read. Friends to catch up with. Questions to answer. Essays to submit. Freelance work. School work. They are all wonderful things. But all at once, they feel like a wave threatening to pull me out to sea. And yet today, I sit here in the quiet house and realize how lucky I am for that in-box and the messages inside.

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Monday Morning Warm-Up:

Write a list poem describing the things you are thankful for this morning. If you'd like, share it on your own blog. But please let us know so we can read it. :-)

Here's mine:

Things To Do Be Thankful For Today:

The sun rising up behind the trees, no clouds in sight
A fire in the wood stove
A child being well enough to go to school
Leftovers in the refrigerator
Ad-free news on the radio
A pretty white dust of snow covering the ground
The little dog riding next to his farmer on the green tractor that just drove past
Ice on the pond that brings the promise of skating soon
The creak of the cat basket as one cat turns his belly to the sun coming through the window
The tiny snore of another as he stretches in front of the wood stove
A toy catalog, wrinkled and torn, edges folded over on almost every page
The joy that he's not too old to believe and dream and wish
A clean house, for now
A stack of books to wrap
Hot tea with milk
Warm bread with raspberry jam
Holiday plans to see family and friends
A freelance job in time for holiday shopping
Teachers who understand the power of books written for kids and teens
Writer friends who understand and listen
Nonwriter friends who love you anyway
Family memories
You and you and you and you
Love