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{"id":385,"date":"2011-11-23T01:56:26","date_gmt":"2011-11-23T06:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatshesaid\/?p=385"},"modified":"2011-11-22T10:18:43","modified_gmt":"2011-11-22T15:18:43","slug":"11-things-for-which-i-am-grateful-in-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatshesaid\/2011\/11\/11-things-for-which-i-am-grateful-in-2011\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Things for Which I am Grateful in 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

1) Seven trees<\/strong> tower over our house-\u00a0majestic\u00a0white oaks and enormous tulip poplars. When the wind blows, they sing.<\/p>\n

2) Taco Bell.<\/strong> The love affair continues. Seriously, have you tried the steak chalupa supreme? If loving it is wrong, I don\u2019t want to be right.<\/p>\n

3) The Internet<\/strong>. When I got this weird insect bite on my thigh (there were three puncture spots\u2026how does that happen?)\u2026the internet. When I needed a recipe for Asian Maple Salmon\u2026the internet. When I got curious about ancient pilgrimage routes after watching \u201cThe Way\u201d<\/a>\u2026.the internet. Muppets performing Queen\u2019s Bohemian Rhapsody<\/a>? Sure. Stephen Colbert infiltrating Occupy Wall Street dressed as Che Guevara<\/a>? Got that. Even cats that look like Hitler<\/a>. The thing is magic, but we forget because we use it all the time.<\/p>\n

4) Earthquake,\u00a0hurricane, floods, and all we had was some damp carpets<\/strong>. They took down the National Cathedral and the Washington Monument, but couldn\u2019t crack 1950s post-war brick housing!<\/p>\n

5) Every time we sing \u201cPraise God from Whom all blessings flow\u201d in the Doxology at church, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for my kids<\/strong>. They are truly blessings. I\u2019m also grateful that the liturgy reminds me of that once a week between amist all the \u201cshe pinched me\u201d and \u201che stepped on my toe\u201d and \u201cthat\u2019s not my slimy bowl of mac and cheese behind the bookshelf\u201d and \u201ca C means average. I\u2019m doing fine\u201d and \u201cthe dog doesn\u2019t WANT to go for a walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

6) Our boys and girls <\/strong>in Afghanistan and Iraq and Germany and Japan and around the world and stateside. You make us proud!<\/p>\n

7) Speaking of our soldiers, we got Osama.<\/strong> Justice served.<\/p>\n

8 ) The movie \u201cThe Tree of Life.\u201d<\/a><\/strong> This rare film reframed my faith, giving me hope in beauty and truth while living in a world that seems very dark. If you haven\u2019t seen it, I urge you to give it a chance.<\/p>\n

9) Grocery home delivery.<\/strong> Shopping for food is my least favorite chore, right up there with cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, doing dishes\u2026pretty much all of them. Which is why I love living in the Jetsons age and ordering groceries online. I can shop in the car on my phone! Who thought that would be possible? The man even carries them into my kitchen. Plus, he never comments on all the gunk on the floor. That\u2019s worth a tip right there!<\/p>\n

10)\u00a0I married the funniest, sweetest, most wonderful\u00a0man <\/strong>in the world. Sorry, ladies, you\u2019ll have to settle for second best.<\/p>\n

11) 11:11 on 11\/11\/11<\/strong> was pretty cool, I have to admit. And it happened twice!<\/p>\n

What about you? What blessings fill you with gratitude?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"