I am thankful...

...for mornings when I wake up before everyone else. There's a magical silence in the early morning that I don't get any other time. And the adventure of tip-toe-ing on creaky floor boards trying to make it last as long as possible.

...for moments when I forget that I want it to stop raining. I think it often just forgets to stop here in Newcastle and maybe you have to remind it to by enjoying it.

...for the things that capture my children's imagination and affection. An orange, an asthma inhaler, a car with blackboard paint on the bonnet.

...for the end of a baby's first year and the beginning of the next one. Ooh, I get giddy thinking that instead of sleep deprivation (ok, and lots of cuddles) the next will be marked with new words, new understanding, new footsteps!

...for Tim. For rearranging furniture, playing, pinning, graphic designing, mentoring, listening and then reminding me of what's important and what I really want. Wish I had enough money to hire you.

...for this. How did I get here? My first blog post was about wanting Anna Maria Horner's life. Now I want my own. I still have some tweaking to do, not with my circumstances. They will continue to change, with or without my permission. But with me. I'm thankful for learning to be kind to myself, to say no, and yes, that I can choose what light, and colour to see things in, and I can add a bit of my own.

...for you! For your kind encouragement, for relating, for your money. ;) For becoming new friends and being good old ones. I don't think I would have had the courage to tell myself I was good enough to do this if it wasn't for you!



...and to God, who walks with me. Challenging the ways I've always seen myself, the world, him. Who encourages, hopes, enjoys rather than shrugging his shoulders or shaking his head as I've always assumed.