Thanks |

So often we feel the world does not offer up what we deserve. We feel like while we work and slave and give, the world is stingy with its rewards. But I wonder sometimes if the rewards come unrecognized and without remark. I wonder if when the rewards have come to me, my overriding feeling is not gratitude, but rather, “it’s about time.”

But this holiday season, I’ve had such astonishing instances of grace in my life, I can’t help but notice them. By grace I mean moments where I receive gifts that are completely undeserved and that I can’t possibly hope to pay back. There is no tally or reason that I can use to justify these gifts. There’s no global gift exchange that has this stuff on the registry. There is no way to completely even up this reward system. All I can do is fall on my knees and be grateful.

It makes me wonder how many other slightly smaller instances of grace have passed by unnoticed and unmarked. The fact I have a wonderful family. The fact that I have another brand spanking new year in front of me. The fact that I have sunshine and clean water and air to breathe. The fact that I have friends and a mission and meaningful work to do. None of these things are “earned”. They are gifts, pure and simple. And one of my great overarching goals for the new year is to spend more time recognizing these gifts every day.

My dear friends, I hope your new year is full of all that you hope for and all that you need. And whether or not you’ve earned it, or deserve it, or it’s your turn, I pray that your life is full of outrageously wonderful gifts for which you would have occasion to feel unreservedly grateful.

Love,

The Fat Chick

Good morning my dear Chicklettes! This Thanksgiving I am grateful for so many things! And, in addition to my wonderful heart, I am especially grateful for the amazing and wonderful gift of my whole mind and my entire body:

Feet that step and skip and dance,
Legs that have carried me towards my loved ones and all that I dream,
Knees that flex under the load I sometimes have to carry, and kneel in awe of the beauty of this world,
Thighs that make a lap for holding warm, squirmy, squiggly children and a resting place for the chin of my fabulous dog, Max,
Hips that sway and shimmy and shake to the beat of the beautiful old earth, and make a place to rest my hands when arms akimbo, I face the dangers and toils of this world,
A round, soft bottom that cushions me when I fall,
A warm, generous tummy that creates the energy I need to live and love and shakes merrily when I giggle and gufflaw at the delicious absurdity of life,
A broad back that allows me to bend down to help others and help shoulder their load,
An expansive chest that swells when I breathe the rich and wonderful air, that powers my speech and my song, that gives me a place to cradle that which is beloved,
A powerful neck that allows me to turn my head and see not only that which is right in front of my eyes, but all of the wonder that surrounds me,
Lips to kiss,
Tongue to taste,
Teeth to bite when the need arises,
Eyes that convey the beauty of the universe to my mind and allow others to see into my soul,
Ears that record the music of the earth from the soft shushing of the surf to the boom of a storm to the whisper of a lover sharing a secret,
And a heart and mind capable of recognizing the incomprehensible nature of the gift which I have received.

Here’s hoping that Thanksgiving is full of all that makes you happy and joyfully devoid of the stuff that tempts you to choose to relinquish your peace.

Love,

The Fat Chick