Monday, November 24, 2008

Grateful Week: Monday

I try to keep gratitude lists on a regular basis, but seeing as this week is Thanksgiving in the States, I decided I would post daily about ones that have been brought to mind by the beginning of the holiday season.

To start, I am thankful for Jimmy Stewart!. More particularly, I am thankful for his penchant to play so very well the role of the underdog trying to live by a higher code of ethics than those around him. For his great lines and speeches, the ones that help me remember, in day-to-day life, to make decisions based on my conscience, rather than on what is easy to do. I watch It's A Wonderful Life yearly, but it's been some time since I watched Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, so last night I watched it via Netflix (using Microsoft Silverlight which is in beta for Mac). I giggled to see the actors who play Uncle Billy, Ma Bailey and Mr. Gower as various characters in the life of Jefferson Smith. I laughed out loud at Senator Smith's excitement seeing the Capitol building, and sniffled at his overwhelm viewing the Lincoln Memorial and reading the words of the Gettysburg Address. I sniffled and I giggled and I wept, thinking about what real opportunity we have for change right at this very moment, when we need a good, honest man to stand up for the truth. The movie got me feeling downright patriotic. Take this line from his first days in office:

You see, boys forget what their country means by just reading The Land of the Free in history books. Then they get to be men they forget even more. Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books, Miss Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say: I'm free to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't, I can, and my children will. Boys ought to grow up remembering that.


Today, I'm also grateful for:

*my healthy kitties and their snuggles
*my four fabulous sisters
*songs to sing that make me cry, such as "Amazing Grace" and "There's A River Flowin' In My Soul"
*Hot chocolate
*Toasty Thinsulate earmuffs!
*Suzi Blu and her Be.Divine December workshop!
*fashion magazines
*art supplies and big sales like Michael's had yesterday! I got an embellished butterfly, some ribbon, a tiny dragonfly paper-cut, some tiny circular mirrors and stick-on jewel-tone dots!
*sweet potato casserole
*cinnamon rolls
*corn muffins
*glittery, sparkly Christmas cards and red and green pens!
*friends on flickr who loan me glorious items, such as a black feather boa!
*Netflix! And Battlestar Galactica!
*Making a few extra bucks online doing surveys and the like
*The smell of pine trees!
* Reading Galadarling's blog.

Stay tuned for Tuesday's edition of Thankful Week!

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