End of the Week Thoughts

I had dress rehearsal tonight after work for a concert that we are doing tomorrow. This is always an evening that takes a lot of hard work and concentration. But as I listened to beautiful music swirl around me, I thought about how much bigger my life is than what I dreamed was possible for myself. I have a truly beautiful life with an amazing family, an incredible circle of friends, a meaningful job, a dog that fills a big space in my heart, and lots of interesting things to do. I do not have a lot of money, and truthfully, I have to count my pennies closely like everyone else, but my life is so rich in the things that money could never ever buy.

So now, I sit here, at the end of the day. It is super quiet. The rain has been falling and I have a sweet little dog, dreaming sweet puppy dreams, and snoring soft, sweet little puppy snores lying snuggled into the blanket by my feet. The light is really low in the house, and before I close my eyes for the night, I reflect on the blessings of the day--people who have made me laugh or gave a kind word, a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner, puppy kisses when I got home, reading a Phillipa Gregory book about Catherine of Aragon that my boss loaned me at my lunch time. Again, the things that have no price tag, but mean the world to me.

I think it really brings the point home when we see our fellow human beings on the other side of the world reacting with such a sense of dignity in the aftermath of so much tragedy. One of my friends made a really profound observation the other day. She said that she was ready to complain because she had had a terrible night of not being able to sleep and then she remembered the up-teen thousand people who lost their beds. It gives a sense of perspective. A bed, the safe place that we lie our head at the end of the day, or where we go to when we are sick, or need to cry, read a book, or cuddle with a loved one or pet. An inane object, but one that is our comfortable and safe place. It is at these times of devastation that we truly understand that these are our brothers and sisters. Even more so, there is a great sense of empathy as we remember that there but by the Grace of God, go I...