Thankful...

for where I'm at. Right now. In this teeny tiny house, in this cold, cold, northern Wisconsin town, for the few, but true friends that I have found. For the sweet little pals that Zoey has. For the peace that I have found within the union of husband and wife. For the opportunities that have been placed before me. For the ability to see what it is that I can do. For the belief I've learned to place in myself as well as in something greater. Thankful for being able to see that there is great power in believing. For the understanding and support of loved ones. For having just enough of everything. Really have been thankful for having "just enough" lately. In this time of so many living with plenty. There is something sweet about seeing what is before you and knowing that it will work just fine. Thankful for the ability and willingness to have faith. Faith that we have the tools needed to do what needs doing, when we will need to do it. Thankful for facing hardships and in coming away from them stronger and better and wiser. Having the knowledge that we can help others, sometimes just by simply being and nothing more. And at times, thankful for the wisdom of having open eyes and mouths that stay closed.

For the intensity and the devastation that is life, I am thankful that I am here willing and able to experience it. A favorite, that I am sure that I have shared before, but feel compelled to share again.

The Keeper of Spaces
Enid Shomer

I am the keeper of usually
vacant spaces. I am the one
who notes how bare the swamp oak grows
as it opens its arms to the wind
in early fall. I notch
the southern skies with gray
before the migratory birds
fly past.

It is not the voids
but possibilities I see:
the ribbed hull of a leaf
its barnacle grip,
the scalloped calyx cup
where mites drink dry
the bloom.

I am the one who, looking
at my hand, sees not a shape
but all the places
where the hand must go,
and the spaces between my fingers
where life like sand escapes
even as I make
a fist.