>Gratitude Monday

>Beautiful views, and friends with which to share them.

Bucky. What’s not to love about Bucky? He is a barking, smiling, furry piece of joy.

How rare to find a friend who sought my company, shared my opinions, the same number of kids, even a bit of mommy-angst and fashion obsessions? She is a gift. Truly a gift.

The opportunity to create. Hers. (More on the actual projects in another post.)

And, mine. Meet Penny. She just celebrated her first birthday. I hope to bring her home before her second.

Penny makes me smile – not just because of the many happy hours I have spent carefully choosing, cutting and assembling every piece of her, but now ever-so-much more that I was able to share so many of those hours with my buddy Traci.

Some evenings we would be joined by our delightful host. Sometimes, it was just the two of us. We’d tiptoe through the side gate, giggling beause we were too dumb to figure out the latch in the dark. We’d turn the corner to find studio windows a-bright, warm light streaming out. Bucky and his trusty sidekick, Benny, hopping and snuffing around our ankles, curious at the funny ladies creeping around their backyard (not such good guard doggies, they).

The room was warm on the coldest winter nights, and a benevolent fairy always left water, glasses and a bottle of somepin’. There were always fresh flowers, and all the tools and resources we needed to simply sit and create.

We’d escape our lives for just a a couple of hours. Laughing, talking and sipping Jim’s wine.

Sometimes so much that we forgot to work (perhaps why Penny is now 14 months old).

So, on Gratitude Monday I say…

I’m so thankful for Traci – a cohort and kindred spirit who came out of the clear blue, but, sadly, went flying off again into it this morning. I’m still not sure why she was brought into my life only to be taken from it just nine months later. I’m still not speaking to Nashville from when Amy moved.

Goodbye, my friend!

I’m so grateful for you.