~and at least I could do it~

Sometimes we lose sight of what we should be thankful for.  I know I do.  Take anything for example.  Take mowing the yard.  It's what I've been doing for the past hour.

On this hot, 99 degrees in the afternoon August day upon the plains of northern Texas, I've been pushing our mower to get a head start on the job of cutting the grass that sooner or later has got to be done.  Mike and I have always worked it out.  He cuts the huge yard in the back with our riding mower, and I cut off the front yard and around the trees in the back yard with a push mower.  It works out, kind of/sort of and in the end we have a pretty decent looking yard, all things considered.

But today it seems unbearably hot and the job feels like it could go on forever and ever, AMEN. I stopped for plenty of drink breaks and sit in the shade time and now that I've finally finished my part, I have one thing to remember.

At least I could do it.

The mower started on the first pull and the gas tank was full to the brim.  The grass had grown rather quickly because of all the recent showers that have sprinkled themselves upon this dry land of ours.  Just a couple of years back when the drought was so deeply entrenched in this area, folks would have begged to be able to cut their grass even every other week, for it would have been a sign that at least they were getting a bit of moisture.  

And still I find myself sometimes complaining.

This has been an interesting summer of weather and in the final days that remain of that season so many of us love, I am thinking about how thankful I should be.  May 19th a hail storm came through and for the first time, I saw what golfball sized hail looked like.  I couldn't believe it and my heart sunk as I heard it pound on the roof and strike against the windows on the west side of the house.  We knew there was probably damage and sure enough, a whole new roof is in order.  Yet we have insurance and have found a good contractor to help us put the new shingles in place of the old ones, so we really have much to be grateful for. 

The tornado sirens didn't go off this summer, leastwise not while we were home.  There was no need to go to shelter and in the life of folks living in Tornado Alley, that's kind of a miracle.  Not saying of course that it can't happen before the severe weather season is officially through, but at least for now we have much to give thanks for.

I just took the last drink of my cherry limeade and that's the signal for time to go put the mower in the shed and sweep up the last of the grass from the sidewalk.  Did I just say that I had a cherry limeade to drink?  Oh yeah, and I surely should be happy that I had the coins in my pocket to buy one.  

Just one more thing to be beholden for among many. 
As it says in the Good Book~In everything, in the very least of things, we best be giving thanks.

Not only did the rains make the grass grow, it always breathed wonderful new life into the flowers.  They have fared pretty well in the dog days of summer, thanks to the gift of moisture.