Stopping to Say Thanks

I have a moment to breathe, which has been hard to find lately.  So, I'm having a mid-morning cup of coffee at Honest Coffee Roasters in the Factory.  The door to the patio is open.  It's a beautiful day, that time of year when summer is stubbornly hanging on and fall is knocking on the door, asking to come inside.    

I just left court after a hearing this morning on the heels of a mediation yesterday (my case) and two mediations Thursday and Friday of last week (others' cases).  In other words, busy.  

Yesterday, I had the crown replaced on the tooth - No. 3, if you're scoring at home - yesterday morning in a two hour dental procedure, which I had been dreading terribly.  It wasn't fun, for sure, but it wasn't quite as bad as the root canal I had a few weeks ago.  I'm relieved, though, because my dental procedures should be over for the time being.  

What I'm thinking today and, really, at this moment, is that I rarely ever stop to say thank you for all that I have.  I stay so busy, at work and with the boys, that days, weeks, and months go by without me expressing gratitude for the fact that in almost every way, I am abundantly blessed.  

Jude is an amazing mother to our boys, both of whom are happy and healthy.  Jude is healthy.  Jude's folks have fought through Covid-19, recently, and are on the mend.  I did the same last January.  

We live in a great house in a great neighborhood.  My job is secure and I am relatively well paid for working as hard as I do.  The boys go to two of the best schools in town, which is a blessing in an of itself, although not an inexpensive one.  

I've had an up and down year with my health but, thankfully, nothing too serious.  It's not been my most consistent year as a runner, far from it.  Still, I ran four miles Saturday and another four miles Sunday, at a quick pace, and felt good and strong.  That's not something I take for granted.  

It's a day, for me, to embrace a deep and abiding sense of gratitude that the Lord has seen fit to bless me with so much.  

A day to give thanks, so that's what I'm doing right now.  

Thank you.