Gratitude fills me with joy

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. Melody Beattie

I am filled with gratitude this morning. Filled with its well-being. Its peace. Its beauty.

C.C.s niece and family left last night -- that's not why I'm filled with gratitude. It has been a wonderful week having them here.

The gratitude comes from having had the opportunity to watch C.C. glow in the joy of being surrounded by his family. Of watching little children scoot in and out, in and around, up and under as their parents and the other adults visited and laughed and reminisced and created new memories. My sister, J., was there, lending a hand, sharing in the laughter. Liseanne and Alexis were there. The meal was wonderful. C.C. barbecued -- ribs and chicken. Salad. Potatoes. Cheesecake for desert. We chatted late into the evening. Twinkling lights hung in the crab apple tree. My 'fire pots' glowed in the dark. I'm grateful for my friend C.S. who transported those wondrous clay pots back from Nelson for me.

And, I have a new bird feeder. A beautiful gift from C.C.s niece and family.

And, Marley the great cat is sitting at my side watching me type.

And, Ellie the wonder pooch is lying on the floor at the foot of the bed, undeterred by the great cat's presence.

And....

Well, the biggest one of all.

I heard back from the publisher in New York.

They love my book. That's what the publisher said when he wrote me an email yesterday. "We love your book."

They want to publish it!

I'm still taking it all in. Still trying to grasp the magnitude and possibilities of what it all means. I'm speaking with the publisher on the phone sometime today. I'm waiting to go through the documents.

I am overwhelmed. And grateful. And excited. I am joyful, joyous, over-joyed!

And tomorrow, C.C. and I fly to LA to pick up a classic old Mercedes he's bought. We'll be driving up along the west coast for a few days. Relaxing. Chatting. Connecting. Chilling.

I'm off my crutches. I've got a 'shoe' to fit over my cast so that I can get around, hands free! What a difference that makes. To be able to walk without being hobbled by crutches.

And, I figure my right leg is going to be getting very fit as the cast and shoe weigh 6 lbs! Cool.

I'm excited about our trip. I'll be able to lay back, elevate my foot and watch the world go by as we drive north along the coastline. Years ago I drove up Hwy 1 from LA to San Francisco. Never driven the highway north of SF -- and everyone who's driven it says its spectacular!

I'm so excited! And grateful. And joyful, joyous, overjoyed!

I'll be offline for a few days -- though I'm taking my laptop in case I can get access along the way.

If not -- I'll see you next Wednesday, filled with tales of our journey and as always -- I'll be sharing my joy of living this one wild and precious life fearlessly in love with all I am and all I can give to create a beautiful world all around me.

Nameste.