summer : gratitude

On Sunday evening I stood in the kitchen at 5:30pm, took one look at the mess and ordered everyone to get in the car. The ocean beckoned and I was so grateful for its pull; an opportunity to escape the humidity and end-of-weekend routine, a chance to wander and run on the sand.

There is no denying the heavy heart of our world right now, the universal sadness evident in news reports and candle flames. 

This Christmas, as we prepare to gather and celebrate, we do so with gratitude - for who we have, not what we own.