Gratitude

Today is all about giving thanks. (Or overeating. I'm never sure which.) Anyway, I thought I'd take a minute to think about what I'm thankful for:

1. My kids are smart, funny, strong, and healthy.


2. Rhett is patient with my silliness. Very patient.


3. We have a roof over our heads and food on our table.

I truly am thankful for these things, but the list feels a little stale. This is the same stuff everybody else is thankful for. I need to show gratitude for the little things, the things I usually take for granted:

1. Rock-star parking


2. Yarn ( I would say it's cheaper than therapy, but if you saw my stash you'd know I was lying.)


3. Warm socks


4. The way my Dad's eyes light up when he tells a joke


5. One of the cats, Matilda, being smart enough to stand by the door and use a special meow when she feels a hairball coming on


6. My favorite song playing on the radio exactly when I need to hear it


7. Yarn-stealing squirrels in Canada - They give the Yarn Harlot something to write about.


8. And, of course, I can't leave out pumpkin pie:

Happy Thanksgiving!

34,000 Ways to Say I Love You

I just found a sock in the middle of the living room floor. I know, I know - as a mother of three boys I should not be all that shocked. What you have to understand is that it wasn't just any old sock laying there abandoned and helpless. It was a handknitted sock.

My boys don't fully realize what that means. In At Knit's End, Stephanie Pearl McPhee (aka Yarn Harlot) says that the average handknitted sock is made up of 17,000 stitches. Yes, you read that right. 17,000 stitches. Now first of all, I didn't realize I had the attention span to do anything 17,000 times. But even more surprising is the fact that, in order to make a pair of socks, I actually had the attention span for 34,000 stitches. In fact, I cherished every single stitch.

You see, when I knit a pair of socks, I'm not just producing an item that I could buy for $1.99 at Wal-Mart. Every inch of the four hundred yards or so of yarn that goes into those socks slides between my fingers as I knit, and I put a little bit of myself into that humble knitted gift.

This is important to me because my boys are getting older, and I often have to send them off into the cold, cruel world to fend for themselves. But I know that when they wear those 34,000 stitches, I'm with them in some way. Since nobody really notices socks, it's like our little secret. I keep their little feet warm. I cushion their step as they run and jump and play. I give them a foundation to stand on when they are faced with a difficult choice.

I know it sounds like a lot to expect from a pair of socks. But trust me, it's in there.

Contentment

Lately I’ve been a bit overwhelmed, and this morning was no different. I was stressed about a Spanish exam, I still hadn’t decided on a topic for my research paper, the dust bunnies in the closet were ganging up on me, the fat lady in the mirror scared me half to death, and I accidentally stepped on the cat. By the time I got out of the house, I was a self-conscious, overly worried bundle of nerves. Then, something magical happened.

I went blank on a couple of items on the Spanish test – and it was okay. I saw the fat lady’s reflection in a window – and she wasn’t so scary any more. At lunch, I actually let myself just enjoy eating lunch instead of frantically searching for a research topic while I dripped salad dressing all over my books – and the world kept right on spinning. I had no idea things could work that way.

Who knows what changed. Maybe the planets all aligned. Maybe some wish I made on a star one night so long ago I’ve forgotten what the wish actually was finally came true. Heck, maybe I’ve just achieved some kind of miraculous hormonal balance that has washed all my cares away. I’ll never know for sure, but this afternoon has been absolutely splendid. The changing leaves are more vivid, my husband is more handsome, my children are more precious, and the fact that I have no idea what to fix for dinner doesn’t bother me in the least.

Yes, life is good.

Five Reasons Fall is My Favorite Season

1. The crisp air – it somehow signals to me that it’s time to snuggle up with somebody I love.
2. Hot cocoa – drinkable chocolate, need I say more?
3. Changing leaves – The world never looks more beautiful or more comforting to me than it does right now.
4. Pumpkins – pie, muffins, cookies, whatever… it’s all good!
5. Sweaters – I finally get to wear yarn and not just play with it. :)

The Obligatory Dear Husband Post (For That One Guy Up in Michigan)

One of Rhett’s buddies cruised by the blog the other day, and his main comment was that my dear husband is conspicuously absent from my writing. I don’t know if this truly concerned him, or if he was just making a casual observation. I honestly hadn’t really thought about it, but I guess after rereading previous posts, I can see why he thought that – but he’s wrong. Rhett’s presence is all over this blog. Just maybe not the way you would expect.

First of all, there wouldn’t even be a blog if it weren’t for Rhett. If I hadn’t gone back to school, I never would have remembered how much I love writing. Even now that I am back in school, Rhett is my number one cheerleader, constantly encouraging me to keep going. Rhett’s never-ending patience with my insanity/eccentricity ( I never know where one stops and the other begins) allows me to indulge my creative side, whether knitting or writing, while I try to decipher who I am and who I want to be.

So, never fear. Rhett’s absence is his presence. If you read about my latest escapades in academia or my tangled world of knitting, just know that Rhett is behind it all. Whether he’s helping with the housework or reminding me that I can accomplish my goals, Rhett is unmistakably important. Just like the old adage that says behind every successful man is a good woman, I firmly believe that behind every successful woman is a man who isn’t afraid to do the dishes.