Holiday Gratitudes

Hope 2016 is off to a great start for each and every one of you. Over the past week or so of holiday-craziness, I had many moments to feel grateful for:

• For snow! It's snowing right now. Such a rare treat for us Pacific Northwesterners....  

• Finn and his big brothering. He is always including Phoebe in his games, and is truly excited to spend time with her. I'm pretty sure that I was not so inclusive with my little sister when I was his age, so I feel that I got pretty lucky. I am so grateful that they are a team.

• That despite divorce, my ex and I can still get along. Having to shuffle the kids back and forth between houses added a new stress to the holidays, and there was more than one time I was teary-eyed when we were not all together. However, I feel really lucky for the relationship that we do have. We spent Christmas Eve and day together, and had a few other family events during the holiday time. He has taken the kids for an hour or so on his off-days so that I could go on a run, or to yoga, and we are still trying to have family dinners once a week. We were amazing friends for many years before we ever dated, and I am hoping that we can be headed back down that path. Divorce has not been easy, but I know it could be so much worse.

• For the friend time I have had over the holidays. With no family nearby, we have always relied on our friends during holiday-time, and in a way, it has become our tradition. And this year, during the times when I was kid-free, I had a chance to spend time with so many lovely friends, old and new. It was wonderful.

• For yoga and the way it makes my body feel. I have managed to get to a couple of classes lately and it does wonders.

• For my health. The kids and I got rear ended a few days ago, and everyone was fine. The car had minor damage, but no big deal. It could have been so much worse.

• For fun adventures. I took the kids ice skating last week-- Finn complained the entire way there, saying he didn't want to go. Thirty minutes in, he didn't ever want to leave and has asked to go back every day since! The kids and I also went sledding on Mt. Hood last week, which was a ton of fun.

What have you felt grateful for this week?

Joining in with the other Taryn from Wooly Moss Roots