On December third, I came home with a headache.

I sat down to write and found I had no energy to relive the day or to ponder the frustrations that might come up later.

So instead I wrote a list.

“What I Love”

Fresh snow at the beginning of winter

Thin, translucent ice spreading across a pond

Cardinals, chickadees, squirrels

Chai

Nobee and Pebble, and their excited, wagging tails when we see each other

The smell of woodsmoke on a cold crisp day

Winter skies, night skies

Baking cupcakes

Eating cupcakes

Smiling

Love

Running

Milking goats by hand

The satisfied snorts of pigs as they eat

Edge

Mountain tops and emerging from treed trails onto a rocky peak

Skinny-dipping in lakes

Lake Massawepie 

Saunas in the winter

The quiet of a snow covered field in late afternoon

The excitement of young creatures

When I finished my list, I sat for a moment, and then continued:

There is so much in this world to celebrate.  May I see this; may I recognize these things; may my heart be lifted and my lips flutter into a smile.  Not everything has to be big.  May I find contentment in the small pieces of life and see each moment as alive, and may I know there is always a choice to be happy.  I am a being of love.  May I always live with this knowing.  

So today, I share with you these things I love.  May you see what you love also.