Thursday, December 20, 2007

Gloria In Excelsis Deo

Today is the 35th anniversary of the day I almost died, but lived. My mom and dad sent me their memories of that day this morning, and my cielo and I have had a few teary moments.

I am thankful to be alive, and I thought it would be nice to make a list (not remotely close to exhaustive) of all the reasons why. It's a very long list, and I'm thankful for that, too.

  • My cielo, my cielo, my cielo, who has a whole long list all to herself...
  • My family, and that we all seem to like each other so much.
  • The ancient Ozark and Ouachita mountains in Arkansas.
  • Dr. Johnnie and Tall Dr. Hicks, who saved my life.
  • All the beautiful people who have come into my life over all these years (y'all, too!).
  • My cielo's delightful family.
  • Becoming an honorary Nicaraguan.
  • Getting to travel so much.
  • Growing into my voice and my self.
  • Baseball.
  • Chocolate.
  • Sunset on the Catalina mountains in Tucson.
  • Standing underneath the outstretched arms of giant saguaros.
  • My first Spanish teacher.
  • Playing piano and guitar and french horn.
  • Turtles.
  • Discovering blogging and kind people around the world who like to read what I write.
  • Singing the Brahms Requiem in college.
  • The night I hit 4 hits and 4 RBI as a fill-in player in a co-ed softball game, and was told I must be a "ringer."
  • Riding my bike across town to swim all afternoon.
  • Wading in mountain streams.
  • Seeing the Rocky Mountains for the first time, and then hiking in them the first time with TheologyBabe.
  • Ice-cold Coke.
  • My daddy's cooking.
  • My cielo's cooking.
  • The hike I took with TBro at Philmont.
  • The camping trip with SBro where the creek flooded from the overnight thunderstorm.
  • The Mustang Band.
  • The Bridgeport choir.
  • Silver Falls.
  • Iliff and my favorite professor.
  • The circle of hurricane voices.
  • Green grass, daffodils, roses.
  • Kitties snuggling on my feet.
  • The Purple Velvet Sisterhood.
  • The Fab Four.
  • Feast days in northern New Mexico.
  • Being called a relative by an Anishinaabe/Ojibwe man.
  • Rehearsing the Rutter Requiem at Bridgeport.
  • Birding in Central America with my aunt.
  • Being invited into people's homes all over Central America and Mexico.
  • Homemade tortillas fresh off the fire.
  • My mom playing the organ.
  • Fishing, in various times and various places with various people.
  • Playing with children.
  • Yes, even Kansas.
  • Potluck suppers at First Presbyterian, Monticello, AR.
  • Learning my family history.
  • Really good counselors to help me with depression.
  • Poetry.
  • Opera.
  • Indigo Girls.
  • Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.
  • The wide open, brilliant blue skies of New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado.
  • Sunflowers.
  • Texas hill country.
  • The Bible.
  • Good hymns, played well.
  • Guatemalan weaving.
  • Lunches and coffee dates with good friends, old and new.
  • Preaching and designing liturgy.
  • Feeding ducks.
  • Rocks.
  • Christmas trees with meaningful ornaments.
  • Buttermilk pie.
  • Goats. Especially baby goats.
  • Fine novels and mysteries.
  • Trees.
  • Clouds.
  • Tomatoes.
  • Afternoon naps.
  • My grandfather's paintings.
  • That I got to know my grandmother well enough to know that she loved me, before she got Alzheimer's.
  • Beaches in Costa Rica, lakes in Nicaragua, volcanoes in Guatemala.
  • Music of so many kinds.
  • Bonfires.
  • Our abuelitos (our adopted grandparents in Tucson).
  • Friends who have seen the worst of me, and stayed.
  • My cielo, my cielo, my cielo...
Oh, this list could keep going on and on and on...

...I am so happy to be alive!