January 5, 2016

• Three gratitudes: 1.—Students who say “thank you” as they leave the classroom; 2.—Sons who happily spend time with their grandparents; 3—Watching Spencer Tracy with my dad
• Exercise: A short walk.
• Meditation: Prayed a rosary with intentions for those who are ill and the caretakers who provide for them.
• Random Act of Kindness email: A phone call.
• Journal about one positive experience in the past 24 hours:

I love my mom.  Last night she told me she had fallen on the ice just before getting in the car to go grocery shopping.  I told her that the boys and I would stop by after school, to make a list and I'd go shopping for her.  It was a long day; I was dead tired.  "I'm feeling better.  Do you mind if I go shopping with you?"  Her limping and sciatica worried me, but I knew she needed to get out of the house, and there would be a sense of security in knowing that she was with someone.  This also meant that my short "in and out" spree would have to be replaced with browsing.  I love my mom.  Even though I thought I'd lose my patience once or twice, I loved seeing her short stature shouting over the counter to the deli worker and the look of deep indecision about which cannoli to choose for the boys' dessert. When she picked through the plum tomatoes, and none of the produce met her inspection expectations, she moved on to a different type.  I had to remind myself that this outing was more important than anything else I had planned.  If I was on my own, the cart I would have put together would have had the same items, but it wouldn't have been personal.  My deli selections would have been typical, there would not have been a dessert for my sons, and the tomatoes might just have been the lesser quality plums from the original list.  I love my mom.

---