A week recaptured

i read ann's post today, and i marvel at how timely and appropriate it is for me, having just returned from a week away from my family, and the struggle that is finding the right lens for which to see things.

42. no cut flowers to adorn my sink, but the sink is empty of last night's dishes.
43. no garden to grow those jewels to eat or display, yet my boys grow, one now four!
44. a time of Tio, and all the energy spent climbing him instead of me, and time for brother-love between friends, and a freezer stocked of food i didn't eat but lovingly made for them while i was gone.
45. safe travels, and time well spent in a city dear to my heart, how a week just flew and wore me out!
the trip itself:
46. barbeque nachos, all perfection [real!memphis!barbeque!], and even better time spent with christina, whom i dearly miss.
47. retreat/reunion--4 girls so different, so same, we met at the perfect junction of our lives, and while many of us have moved (texas, switzerland), home again these 10 years later, 24 hours carved in homage to the time when we were husbandless, childless, clueless (!).
48. so many laughs
49. holding hands and those long sister-hugs
50. swiss chocolate (78% thankyouverymuch!)
51. three-in-a-bed in cabin and laughing more into the night
52. crackers and cheese, epitomizing poor college food
53. shopping in oxford
54. the preciousness that is amy, damaris, and kathryn
55. time with sister (pregnant with twins) and niece, that my bitterness at "doing all the work" subsided and we had a nice time
56. skylar remembering me
57. time with mom, first time face-t0-face in four years
58. she hugged first
59. tears shed and more hard conversations
60. agreeing to move one day at a time, however that looks
62. for grace to acknowledge there will be hard(er) days
63. and promise not to pull back in silence, agreeing that even loud anger would be better than nothing.
64. for my sweet friend brownie, soul sister and stage of life companion
65. real-friend tears, both of us, and shoulders to lean on
66. time to pray, encourage
67. knowing looks and smiles
68. shared understanding, ease, motherhood ups and downs
69. crockpot love and slow-simmering friendship
70. gina, getting to hold sweet henry
71. the chance to let her eat with two hands!
72. the ability to be more experienced and promise her she's doing such a great job
73. seeing how far i've come
74. pizza with smoked mozzarella, truffle oil, arugula, need i say more?!
75. amy, for your ever-beautiful smile, and hospitality to share your home with me
76. muddy's cupcakes
77. time and space to vent my fears and frustrations
78. kassie and pippa and brittany
79. for time with husband when i got back,
80. and a house clean and orderly
81. and little boy hugs to remind of being wanted
82. and nap to catch up on all the week's hard work and road weariness
83. and a return to some normal

i had a long week, one of the more harried visits i've taken to memphis because of all the emotional visits with my mom and sister and just the busy-ness of it all. i'm so glad to be back, and so glad i got to go! i'll write more in-depth about my visit with my mom and the rest of the week, but i want to take a moment to thank each of you who prayed for me. it was deeply appreciated.

don't forget to read ann's post today and join the others in the gratitude community, or begin sharing your own way to a thousand gifts!