Shine A Little Light

In this pre-Christmas funk – caught somewhere between packing and wrapping to go away on holiday and the excitement of actually being away, I'm stopping to pause and reflect on the week that was.

Giving thanks and gratitude is one of the most soul warming things we can do in life.

1. I am grateful for the school holidays and for the chance to reconnect with Mr D. I thought it would be awful with no down time, but to date it hasn’t been. You are welcome to quote me on this around week 6 of the holiday period.

2. I am grateful for having a child and having permission to do lots of things that are considered unseemly for adults to be seen doing.

3. I am grateful for having a pool – this summer is far hotter than the last and with Mr D swimming independently now it’s the place to while away the hours.

4. I am grateful for the live violin music that is filtering in through my bedroom window from somewhere further down the street. (My partner is pointing out that earlier it was recorder and it was bloody awful .. I’ve obviously picked the right time of day to be writing in the bedroom)

5. I am grateful that tomorrow I will be on holidays.

6. I am grateful that rum balls are so easy to make and so yummy to eat.

7. I am grateful that I have a thick skin and that I was able to take the rejection of my short story in my stride and see it as a positive rather than a negative. See below for more details.

8. I am grateful for the opportunity to have critiqued one of Paul’s short stories and on the back of that to have had a wonderful conversation with him via Skype. A bit of a weird moment where the ‘podcast voice’ was actually talking back to me, rather than at me.

9. I am grateful that when I go to bed tonight all the presents will be wrapped, all the clothes will be packed and in the morning we will simply get up and leave (that’s what I am putting out to the Universe) for Maleny.

10. I am grateful to be another year older and wiser, and to still be without a grey hair (I've probably gone and done it now!)

11. I am grateful to the Universe for heeding my wishes (even if I was ignoring them) and giving me the chance to have the low key, quiet birthday that I actually wanted. But grateful also for Facebook that allowed me to receive more birthday wishes that I have had in years, from friends I definitely haven’t seen in years.

12. I am grateful for having breastfeed Mr D for three years. He had chicken pox last week and other than a few skin lesions and being a little more emotionally sensitive, didn’t miss and beat.

13. I am grateful for Mr D’s singing ability and his choice of songs. Today it’s his own composition “Rock n Roll Space Monkey” and an awesome rendition of “last Christmas’ by Wham that he picked up from me.

14. I am grateful that I am looking forward to an extended family Christmas with much excitement and anticipation, and the relief that brings.

Have a very Merry Christmas and I’ll be back around the 29th December with new tales to tell and pictures to share from a very Cleghorn Christmas on the Sunshine Coast. Until then I will try my best to have a couple of scheduled posts to tie you over.

I’ve also published my story ‘Deck the Balls’ in two parts on my other blog.

You can find Give me the Grateful Life at Merlot's Mum, where the original idea comes from.