these last weeks

these treasures:

• a visit from ab! i am grateful x gazillions to ab for making this trip. she flew to new england to visit with me, K and danielle for a long, late january weekend. it was the perfect time for a cozy and heart*connecting weekend. we ate here and i had the artichoke soup and shared the beet salad with ab. i enjoyed a yum, yum, yummy chai here. pictures, involving some BIG sunglasses, were taken here. we sipped more hot beverages here. we ate leftovers. we made books and oatmeal spice cookies. we walked. and, we talked and talked and talked for nearly three days...
  
• TUT's Adventurer's Club. receiving daily "Notes from the Universe." love 'em.
  
• singing and being sung, There Is A Balm In Gilead. "There is a balm in Gilead / To make the wounded whole; / There is a balm in Gilead / To heal the sin sick soul." one of my favorite scenes in The Spitfire Grill is when Percy sings this song.
• reading and talking about Sue Monk Kidd.
• Hallelujah for Haiti.
• "Life is a single skip for joy." ~ from Dedication
• wind chimes around my neighborhood.
• a recent early saturday morning greeting from a dear elderly man. as we neared one another while walking in opposite directions along magazine street, he said to me, "hello, my dear." he had the kindest voice. his words wrapped around me and held me tight.
  
• while walking home from the subway one night last week i looked up and saw the moon hanging low and large. my view of her face was completely clear and she was nearly full. i told her, "my, you are perfect." then she said to me, "i hope you can see your face in mine." i heart the moon.
• cooking this and this. i made both with brown rice pasta.
  
• baking Glenn's Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Candied Ginger.
• a journal project with ab. {ab, if you are reading this, the journal is packaged up and i will be mailing it tomorrow!}
• gathering together treasures to send to my bff, s., for her 35th birthday on the 17th.
• ordering a frame and mat for MAGIC.
• new ribbon and paper.
• making and sending out valentines.
• two successful jogging outings! my next jog is scheduled for saturday morning. this would be a hope-come-true if this continues (and this is my intention). i have long wished to return to a running practice.