Thankful

Thankful for a little boy who finally asked to learn to knit.  He learned in 1st grade, and hated it.  His handwork teacher told me, "it's ok, some people just don't like it".  I watched other little children take to it and knit up little sheep and bags.  Elias would not do it.  I tried to work with him, to force him.  I can't really believe it, but at a Waldorf school, knitting is a big deal, and I was a Waldorf teacher, and I knit, and darn-it, I wanted my child to be the star knitter!  Silly, right?  I got over it.   I thought, fine I will accept the fact I will not have a knitter.

Then, it happened.  

And he has taken to it.  He says knitting makes him happy, and when he knits, he gets quite relaxed, his voice lowers, and he talks.  A lot.  He is not a talker.  But when he is knitting, he lets it all out! I get to hear about all his thoughts.  I am so happy! 

He also knit outside this beautiful sunday, in the sunshine.  I asked him to watch Atticus for me, and he said "can I knit while I do it?" What a beautiful thing it is to watch children grow and change.

(I took a picture of him outside, but sadly, my camera is not working at the moment...)

Thankful for moments of quiet;

And moments of excited, loud, fun play;

All the neighbor kids came over to play in the giant leaf pile.  Their parents were busy bagging up leaves  in bags to be hauled off in trash trucks today.  They did not want the kids playing in the leaves, and messing up the piles.  Elias asked if we were bagging leaves or was our pile "strictly for fun".  Uh, strictly for fun, of course!  I had no intention of bagging up all those beautiful leaves into non-compostable bags when they are like vitamins to the lawn and soil!  Anyway, we all had fun.  (again, I had quite the collection of funny photos of them buried in leaves and playing that are all stuck in my camera...)

I am so thankful for the nice weather too.  Even the rain.  We took a walk in the rain and it smelled like wet leaves and fall.  It was beautiful. 

 I am thankful for our cozy house where we lit candles because it was dark at 5, and played soft music and UNO! over and over because it's Atticus's favorite game right now (it was Candyland, and I am pleased we have moved on).  

Thankful for family coming for a visit next week, and lots of Thanksgiving dinners with friends and family.

Thankful for friends who have showered me with good thoughts during a rather strange time in my life.  It is good to know I am missed.