Grateful doesn't cover it.

My good friend, blogger, TV and radio personality Sheletta Brundidge did me the biggest favor.  She drove down here from St. Paul with her 3-year-old pistol, I mean son, to speak to my Middle Schoolers about careers.  But she did more than that.  She talked to them about their DREAMS and their UNIQUE TALENT.  She told them that they each had something special to offer the world.  They listened to her, really listened to her, in ways I haven't seen in a while.

Then a few days later she was laid off from 107.1.!!!!  Her show has been replaced with a corporate package featuring The Gayle King show - yes, Oprah's best friend Gayle King!  Now why in the world some corporate egghead thinks that the Twin Cities would rather listen to Gayle King who doesn't know us, doesn't understand us, and never has to scrape ice and snow off her windshield just to get to work, is beyond me.  Sheletta was a local, who knew the local scene and the local buzz.  Crazy.

Remember my Steak ala Nonna?  I forgot to mention that the red wine I used was from dear friend MG.  Don't you think the label is appropriate??  I'm grateful for good humor and MG.  But I wish he'd add to his blog more often than every 6 months.

And finally feeling very very grateful that I'm not a migrant farm worker.  Last week I spent a few hours in the hot sun being swarmed by mosquitoes to pick a flat of red raspberries.  All the while I was thinking how lucky I could do this for fun, and that I could walk away whenever I wanted to and drive back to my air conditioned home.  Feeling sad that anyone would have to do this year round just to keep food in their children's bellies.

Also feeling grateful that my batch of low-sugar jam turned out pretty darned good.  Think I'll make more.

Counting them one by one

I've had a lot of bad luck in the last several years. Almost sounds like I made it all up: death, cancer, job loss, foreclosure, bankruptcy, etc.

YET . . . . . . .

There are many, many things that are perfectly right and wonderful and of course I'm going to list them one by one:

My kids, my glorious, frustrating, healthy, smart, maddening, lovely, funny, kids.

My husband - I am married to the most unflappable man on earth. He has had more loss in his lifetime than most men. And through it all he's still smiling, and laughing, and tenderly caring for his family. That includes taking some pretty humiliating jobs just to pay the bills through this horrid recession. He's been beaten to a pulp by his job loss and didn't deserve one punch.

My family. I'm so lucky to have a great extended family. My siblings are marvelous and their kids are the best bunch of cousins. Many of my own cousins are as close to me as siblings.

My childhood. Yeah, we had our share of problems - what family doesn't? But for the most part I had a lot of fun and I'm very grateful for everything my parents provided. Just wish they were here so I could thank them.

My friends. They have stuck by me and supported me in so many ways. This includes the fabulous MG who introduced me to blogging and has become one of my dearest friends since our college days. He's truly more like family.

My blogging friends. I have met some of the coolest people EVER through this blog and this includes all of YOU. Blogging has renewed my faith in Americans. With the media dredging up all the crackpots, it's easy to feel alone in your thoughts and opinions. You have all proved this is not the truth, and that most common people are so much smarter and funnier than any media outlet wants to admit.

My rental home. It's not our "home" but it's a darn cute place to rebuild.

My job. I truly enjoy my job at our Middle School.

Gardening. This recession got me started on raised bed gardening. I had no idea I'd love it so much.