Good morning from Wisconsin, where spring is really here!
I’m grateful the cold winter weather is behind us. I like living where there are lots of changes in weather. I’m writing this from my “summer” comfy chair on our enclosed front porch. The birds are singing like mad and their is a light sprinkle of rain.
I’m grateful for this beautiful porch. It was a work of love that my husband took the 130 year old porch and carefully stripped the carpet up and painted it in beach blues to remind us of our favorite porch on Tybee Island. It’s a wonderful spot to read, write, and enjoy my restorative beverages like coffee and tea.
I’m grateful to have worked hard through another week of classes and some hard times for some of my students. There was a lot of upset and emotion as they dealt with the departure of one of their classmates. My refugee students carry a lot of hard trauma and their upset isn’t easy to manage as their emotions and coping strategies are kind of all over the place.
I’m grateful to have been sober this week as I needed all my emotional strength and compassion and capacity to love them. Doing that with a perpetual hangover in the past was super upsetting and hard to manage. I’m grateful to be sober.
I’m grateful that I’m strong enough in my sobriety to have had a very terrible incident this week with one of my refugee students and to have been able to decompress at home that evening without turning to alcohol. It was definitely the type of work day that “in the before times” would have brought out a lot of drinking.
I’m grateful to be sober and able to get up early and get to the swimming pool to exercise and while swimming meditate on what to do next to support my students and myself through the hard times.
I’m grateful to be approaching the end of the school year. This is winding down 36 years in public education and I’m grateful to have meaningful work and meaningful breaks from work.
I’m grateful to be living in a safe and loving home and to have the means to take the summer break.
I’m grateful for my loving marriage and the partnership and romance that continues to grow as we move through the journey of our lives together.
I’m grateful we have both found sobriety to be an improvement for our individual lives and in our marriage.
I’m grateful to be starting a weekend where I do not intend to do any school work. This is rare for me and I’m grateful to have been able to get enough done to be at this point.
I’m grateful to have a weekend that looks promising for some bike riding and hiking. Heck, I may even break out the kayak!
I’m grateful for this sober community and all that I’ve gained by finding it and participating. I hope you are all getting to joy. Peace!