Grateful Friday

The other night Sue, my RS president and also my friend, came over for a ministering interview.  After we chatted, she said, "Now you painted your cabinets, right?  Can I see them again?"

I said sure and we walked in the kitchen and I was super glad that it was clean.  I said, "I don't want you to think it always looks like this.  Our cleaners came today."

She hugged me and said, "I am so proud of you!"

Later, Adam asked, "Was she proud of you for having cleaners or for admitting your kitchen is not always clean?"

I don't know.  I'll take either.

I am never not grateful to have cleaners.  Besides money spent to...you know...keep us alive, I think paying cleaners every other week is the best thing we can do with our money.  There is nothing quite so lovely as walking into a perfectly clean house after a day at school has kind of beaten me down.

Worth it.

I am grateful for my friends.  Everyone is still pitching in and trying to help with Miriam out sick.  I managed it myself for a few days and I was sort of drowning but I called in the reserves and they arrived!

I'm grateful for our kids.  Braeden called a few nights ago.  He was as cheerful as he always is and he was driving home after helping pack for a move (Elders quorum president reporting for duty) for a few hours.  He didn't have a hint of tiredness or begrudging the use of his time in his voice.  He said, "I've gotta go!  I love you Mom but I just pulled in and I want to see QE before she goes to sleep!" (Except he didn't call her QE.)

I love that boy.

I had dinner with our other two (Adam had to go to the stake center) at Pizza Pie Cafe because it was Bonneville night there.  I try to go every time they have a restaurant night.  

Who am I to cook dinner when I have an excuse not to?

I saw some current students and some former students.  They hugged me and chatted with me.  Today at school they will hardly acknowledge me.  One mom dragged a timid girl up to me who was trying to hide behind her mom.  The mom said, "She wanted to say hi, but she is being shy."

This same girl approached me at school yesterday a handful of times to talk to me and she wasn't shy at all.

Emma and I decided it is like the difference between seeing animals at the zoo or in the wild.  A teacher in her natural habitat....

I am also grateful for Adam.  Braeden learned his willingness to serve from somewhere and it was Adam.  Neither of us has ever had such a busy but invisible calling as Adam has right now and he just does it with zero complaint.

He is inspiring to me. (And he read to me when he got home last night.)