Appreciating Thoughtfulness

Happy July; this morning I woke up appreciating thoughtfulness

because of this scenic shot.

It probably took less than a minute,

maybe only seconds really,

for my brother Mark to momentarily leave the reunion gathering

to walk into the corn field behind my Dad's house

and capture this dusk rendering of my childhood home for me,

but it was a big big deal to me.

He sent it, along with these words: Thought you'd appreciate.

Boy was he right.

He also sent a few video clips, of the relatives

singing some spiritual songs in my Dad's garage.

Be still my soul.

Even if this last month hadn't been a rollercoaster of emotions,

of highs and lows as I say good-bye and hello,

of lots of bitter sprinkled with some sweet,

of closing old doors and opening new opportunities,

who wouldn't appreciate going home for a few moments in time?

Being a little homesick just amplifies the appreciation.

So Mark has me thinking about thoughtfulness

and watching for chances

to seize those magical moments

to give those thoughts wings.

My friend Tamara Letter wrote about that very thing;

click her intriguing image below to read all about it.

She takes thoughtfulness a step further

and muses that it can instill hope.

I agree; it's simply powerful in its potential to heal.

So here's some super thoughtful stuff I've noticed lately:

My husband running to the grocery to swap out the hot sausage I picked up by mistake. A kind text from Michelle asking how I'm doing. A phone call from Amy to make a connection with something I posted on Facebook. An invitation from Cheryl to have a quiet celebration over dinner this week. A promise from Margaret to borrow that prayer book she recommends. Jacob mentoring his brother in time management. A special delivery from Lisa, a box of Rise cupcakes. A friendly hello from Officer Ives at the bank. A kind invitation to come speak at a Rotary meeting. An email inquiry from Faye, a counselor in North Dakota, about our ukulele lab.

Click the picture to support her Donors Choose project

A video message from Maria congratulating me on my encore career. A hand-written thank-you note from Mrs. Vaughn. An invitation from Melissa to come swimming. A box of puppets from Meghan, a teacher on Twitter, who learned from a podcast that our students love them. A Vox message from Joanne, a Principal in WA who wants to meet when my travels take me to the Pacific Northwest. Albert the Alpaca puppet, gratitude for my service at Bales, from my friend Wendy.