The other morning my friend and I went on a walk.  Since it was good exercise, we climbed the streets that go up into the foothills above our homes.  It was a long climb that left us both gasping for breath as we made our way to the top.  As we walked we talked because, we are never too out of breath to talk!

When we reached the top, the valley lay out before us, a patchwork of orange and yellow and red.   Both of us stood quiet for a moment, marveling at the beautiful place that we live.  It is such a simple thing, but our walks, and more importantly her friendship, love and support are such a blessing in my life.

In the past few weeks I’ve been finishing up my canning for the year.  Oh how I love seeing the rows of jars lining my shelves.

I’ve been working on my yard, putting it to bed for the winter.  There are pots to empty and put away, chairs to store, flower beds to weed and cut back, roses to prune.

The weather has been so cold, I’ve been making soups and bread, and cozy cold weather food.

Everyday is filled with helping my kids with homework (thank you Khan Academy for getting me through 6th and 7th grade math!)  There are always things to clean, work to do, volunteering for my church, volunteering at my kid’s school…

Everyday is full.

But I’ve come to realize that in these full and ordinary days lies the heart of my life.  If I wish to cultivate happiness, I need to seek it there.

The extraordinary days, days sitting on a warm and distant beach, celebration days, even new sofa delivery days… those kind of days are just too far and few between to build a life of happiness on.

Anna Quindlen said it better than I ever could,

“Life is made of moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long stretch of gray cement.  It would be wonderful if they came to us unsummoned, but particularly in lives as busy as the ones most of us lead now, that won’t happen.  We have to teach ourselves how to live, really live… to love the journey, not the destination.”

Congratulations Ro!  You are the winner of the Hungry Jack™ Weekend Breakfast Celebration Giveaway which includes $175 Visa Gift Card and new Hungry Jack Products.

I will send you an email so I can arrange to have your gift sent to you!  A big thank you to Hungry Jack for sponsoring such a wonderful giveaway!

It’s always fun to start off the week by making someone’s day ; )…