63. November 30

Monday. And rain.

Really? I mean, really?

It's bad enough that it is the first Monday back from a long holiday, but rain?

Bummer.

Do you ever have something really good happen to you,

and then you overthink it,

and it kind of spoils it?

Anyhow.

Almost Christmastime...

First gift of the season! Thanks dear.

Did I ever share with you my life motto?

At various points in my life, I've had this in my car, on my binder, in my room...

I'm just missing it from my wall this year.

Do It Anyway
Mother Theresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

52. November 19

I think Thursday has become the new Tuesday... In other words, icky.

Not a bad day, just a bit exhausting.

Today's Gratitude List

1. I am grateful I didn't have to face another rainy day. It was sunny today and warm enough to wear a skirt.
2. I am grateful for afternoon naps.
   
3. I am grateful for the postal service. How cool is that for under a dollar you can send a letter almost anywhere in the world?
4. I am grateful my geology lab exam is over.
5. I am grateful tomorrow is Friday.
6. I am grateful my Southern Literature paper is finally coming together, even if Spell Check refuses to properly function.
   
7. I am grateful I have plans to look forward to this weekend.
8. I am grateful I had braces a long time ago so now I have nice straight teeth.
9. I am grateful for this little gem of a video. And for Mom for forwarding me a link. 

And now, the picture and quote of the day.
Sometimes it takes me a while to get to this point, but trust me, I always will.

Sorry giant behemoth of an umbrella, you weren't needed today!

"God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars."

~ Elbert Hubbard 

Oh dear. This post is rather scattered, isn't it? Rain, gratitude, and scars. Somehow though, tender threads leave all these things connected in the workings of my mind.

51. November 18

Today's Gratitude List

1. I am grateful for mascara and eyeliner and makeup in general. It is a sheer delight to "get pretty" in the morning.
   
2. I am grateful to be female and the sense of beauty I feel in my femininity.
3. I am grateful to be American!
4. I am grateful for these little gratitude lists... I have only just begun, but already I find myself finishing the phrase, "I am grateful for" with a thousand different endings throughout my day. Truly I am blessed.
5. I am grateful for tissues, particularly the Kleenexes that come in little packages.
6. I am grateful to be Christian.
7. I am grateful, oh so grateful, for family. I could write pages and pages about mine. They are just so wonderful!
8. I am grateful for my little camera and the good companion it has been for me these past few months.
9. I am grateful for humor, because life would just be too darn boring without it.

And once again, RAIN. The weekend was so pleasant. I could tell you, yet again, how the rain depresses me, but since the Be Grateful Gosh Darn It Month, I will simply say, I am grateful it wasn't rainy this weekend.

So, here is a rain soaked path at night.

"Rain, rain go away,

Don't come back,

Or I will personally lambaste you."

~ My variation on English nursery rhyme

50. November 17

Today's Gratitude List

1. I am grateful for Tuesday game nights.
2. I am grateful for Caitlin fueling my addiction to Peanut Butter M & M's.
3. I am grateful for the National Student Exchange program and the amazing experience I have had participating in it.
4. I am grateful for a long, hot shower every morning.
5. I am grateful for the oatmeal now served at the cafeteria for breakfast.
6. I am grateful rainy days don't last forever.
7. I am grateful for poetry and how it has shaped the way I look at life.
8. I am grateful for canceled classes and an extra hour to sleep in.
9. I am grateful to Robert, Nelia, and Caitlin for generously giving me rides everywhere.

Tuesday Game Night

The Jennifer Sandwich deeply engrossed in a game of Cranium.

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."

~C.S. Lewis

16. October 14

Today was an emotional yo-yo. I was not much in the mood for pictures, so I apologize for the lack of energy in tonight's post.

The good news? The leaves are finally turning.

And its beautiful.

I promise you prettier pictures of fall, coming soon.

"Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear. Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right. It's all right."

~The Beatles, "Here Comes the Sun"

7. October 5

After the rain...

"The only world that exists for you is the one you invent yourself."

~Richard Chess, today in Modern Poetry

Does anyone know how to make uploaded images slightly larger? I don't ask for much, just a little bit bigger.