Gratitude Project, Day 30

Today I'm thankful for slightly less crazy in my life. Let's just say that people handle stress and grief in different ways and it has been...interesting, to say the least...to see how that works in my family. The last time we lost anyone in our family, I was a little girl, and I wasn't really privy to any of that. Doing it as an adult is very different. And I'm just glad to say it was a little less crazy today than yesterday. Hopefully that trend will continue.

I'm so thankful for sweet moments with my Grandma. I haven't slept in days, and last night was no exception. I woke up super early and could hear on the ceiling that I wasn't the only one awake. I waited for awhile, but when I could tell that person didn't go back to sleep, I headed upstairs to join them. My sweet Grandma was awake, sitting at the kitchen table with her newspaper, watching the birds and squirrels out the window as tears rolled down her cheeks. I put my arm around her and we had some sweet moments together. Then we worked on the crossword puzzle in the paper. Sometimes it's good to cry, and sometimes it's good to be distracted from the grief.

My Uncle Kim has been up here since before Thanksgiving, and I tell you what, he is a ROCK. He has struggled through all this as much as anyone (maybe more), but he continues to do everything with grace, strength, and his hilarious sense of humor. He definitely knows how and when to bring a little levity to the situation. I'm so thankful for him, and the chance to spend some time with him this week. He's amazing.

Today the good ol' Rocky Mountain winter hit with full force, so I am so thankful my sweet cousin Michaela made it up from Bozeman in the crazy storm. We had a good time playing Apples to Apples tonight to try and lighten everyone up a little bit. And with that Montana blizzard, I'm thankful for heaters and boots and ways to stay warm in the cold. The Pacific Northwest is diluting my hearty Montana blood, I'm afraid!

At my Grandpa's request (about five years ago), I have to sing for the funeral on Saturday. My sister has agreed to sing with me (thank you, God!). We met with the pastor today and talked about all the different song choices, and he is giving me the freedom to pick and choose whatever I'd like to do, which is a huge blessing. My Grandma already told me I could do whatever I wanted as long as it was okay with him, so I think we've almost gotten it all figured out now. My good friend Dave was going to play for us, but then he realized he's going to be out of town this weekend, so guess who has to play the guitar--me! Eeeeek. I haven't picked up my guitar in probably a year. This does not bode well for my fingers the next few days. Nevertheless, Dave picked us up tonight and played through the music with Amy and me so we could at least sing through it a couple times. I'm so thankful he was willing to do that for us, and to lend me his guitar for the week, too. We had a good time hanging out and spent a lot of time laughing and chatting--exactly what we needed.

What are you thankful for today?