3 beautiful things

Haven't done a 3 beautiful things post in a long time. It's time today.

1. lilac bushes in full bloom

2. a birthday serenade from the high school choir

3. the hug I get from my friend, Ruth, when she greets me.

So many other things that were moments of beauty today, too. Am grateful.

...may there be mercy and appreciation when moments of beauty come my way.

simple beauty

Three beautiful things, seen today:

1.  a frozen spiderweb, glistening against the deep green of a bush.
2.  trees, devoid of leaves, silhouetted in the fog.
3.  laughter and deep connection in the conversation between friends.

...may there be mercy in the simple beauties found in my daily life

3BT spring

Just need to take a moment and find some beauty...

1. matching up fabric triangles for a quilt. It's for my sister-in-law and I let her pick the fabrics. I would not have picked them to go together, but the colors are pleasing nonetheless.
2. having a brand new radiant heater under my desk at work. It sends a little warm glow over me and I feel better.
3. hearing Mama's voice today.

...may there be mercy and moments to find beauty.

3BT, weekend of celebration

1. sitting in front of the fireplace in our hotel room, late at night, sipping wine, laughing and talking with my sweet husband.
2. sitting in front of the fireplace in our hotel room, early morning, sipping coffee, looking at the water view, watching the gulls soar and hearing them calling.
3. holding hands, sharing hearts, twenty years, wow.

...may there be mercy in the beautiful things that make up our lives...

3BT... new year, new BT

Well, my blessed friends, it's a new year. We are going away for the weekend to celebrate that lovely thing of being married for 20 years.

My sweet husband deserves a medal or more for putting up with me for that long, but that's a whole 'nuther story that will never be told in this venue!

Tonight will be a quickie 3 Beautiful Things night and then we are gone.

1. my co-worker's 2 year old niece trying to say "see ya later" and how adorable it sounded as more of a "waiter, waiter" than anything else... and the fabulous grin that accompanied those sweet sounds. ( I really wanted to ask for coffee or dessert or french fries when she kept saying "waiter"!)
2. the way cool email from the hotel concierge when I told her that we are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary at her hotel and that we prefer wine to champagne... and how she totally JUMPED at providing wine instead for us. Not to mention the lovely congratulatory thoughts she expressed to us.
3. the hug from my favorite grocery clerk today when I gave her a rice bag I'd made. One of those simple, little things that take less than 5 minutes to make, but help much when the body is hurting. She injured her hip a few months back and has been limping... but she's been worried more about my neck pain than her own. That hug was so incredibly sweet.

...may there be mercy and we find beautiful things each day.

3BT... the rest of that week!

Well we didn't have internet availability during the actual Thanksgiving weekend while we were in Portland... but I saved up!

Thanksgiving, 11/22:

1. safe travel and making good time while driving.
2. sunrise behind Mt. Rainier.
3. hugs from precious longtime friends and joy around their table with new friends since they invited other "strays" to join us.

Friday, 11/23:

1. laughing with SuziQOregon at our 5th Annual Day After Thanksgiving Breakfast.
2. visiting gorgeous wineries and the fun of winetastings.
3. sitting in a massage chair in the evening while watching a movie.

Saturday, 11/24:

1. watching our men doing guy-type activities and enjoying the simplicity of the fact that they are men.
2. the warmth of the vehicle after being outdoors in 29 degree weather for several hours.
3. barbequed steak for dinner... oh, yum!

Sunday, 11/25:

1. safe journey home without any traffic delays in the midst of many folk heading for home.
2. unpacking and getting the laundry almost completely done by bedtime.
3. holding hands with my sweet husband while we watched a movie and enjoyed a glass of wine together.

...may there be mercy and remembering to be thankful always.

3BT night before

1. the surprise of a sunrise that was orange and not pink.
2. getting all my errands done during lunchtime... with time left over to actually eat lunch!
3. laughing with co-workers as we were counting down the hours to my vacation... which started at 5 today!

...may there be mercy as we are thankful.

3BT

Continuing to be thankful, appreciative and sharing three "moments" in my day... join me!

1. hearing my sweet husband laugh out loud at a joke.
2. lunch with friends.
3. going to a hair appointment and coming home with a dramatic change.

...may there be mercy as we are thankful.

3BT week

One of my chief complaints is that we have stopped being a thankful people. We skip straight from Halloween to Christmas without a pause.

Hey! Wait a minute!

There is a whole 'nother holiday in there. It's called Thanksgiving.

In honor of being thankful, this week is a 3BT week here for me. Yep, 3BT all week. Please join me. I'd love to hear what simple things in your life give you pleasure... and be thankful with you for those things.

1. a heavy handed neck massage during physical therapy.
2. tomato soup and toasted cheese sandwich for lunch, sitting inside warm and snug while watching it rain.
3. a great big hug from a 6-year-old friend.


...may there be mercy as we are thankful.

3BT

It's late. Been a very long day with work, a lunch date with my sweet husband, physical therapy, errands and bible study group. I actually have much to say, but am exhausted. 3BT will have to fill in for this night.

1. Compliments on my work from a client.
2. Taking a trip down sweet memory lane at this website: http://www.pastorbutchers90th.org/Site/Welcome.html I sat under this man's teaching at the church where I grew up.
3. A surprise visit from my precious father-in-law just because he wanted to give me a hug.

...may there be mercy as we look for the beautiful things each day.

3BT

1. the simple comfort of making a new quilt and how the fabric feels in my hands.
2. the warmth of my socks as I put them on my cold feet.
3. hearing in a friend's voice that she is happy to hear my voice.

...may there be mercy and beautiful things today.

rock 'n' roll!!!

I've spent the day doing a bit of pampering myself with manicure, pedicure and hair appointments. Feeling pretty good on the spiffy-o-meter.

Now I'm packed and ready to relax with a good night's sleep before I head to St. Louis in the morning. At least I'm supposed to sleep... I'm too excited at this point! Getting to see so many of my friends, in person, at the same time is amazing. The anticipation has been huge. The fun and laughter will most likely be non-stop.

But I need to sleep tonight!

So I'll mention my 3BT for today and go try to bring myself down from the rafters.

1. The joy in my sweet father-in-law's voice when I asked him for a breakfast date for tomorrow, followed by a ride to our airport shuttle. When he feels needed, it's a lovely thing.
2. Red, orange and gold leaves. The colors just popped out at me today and took my breath.
3. Watching an autistic man in his determination to do a good job where he works.

I'm off... in rock 'n' roll mode... and going to bring myself down... until morning!

...may there be mercy as we all travel... and fun!

3BT

I'm thinkin' this Three Beautiful Things (3BT) may become a frequent "filler" post when I have nothing else to say. It's a good concept.

3BT for today:

1. the smell of coffee.
2. the warmth of the water in my shower.
3. that first yummy taste of boneless pork chops browned quickly, then braised in wine, garlic, onion and rosemary.

Add a couple more that are more of a "big ticket item" than a moment of beauty:

1. Coffee and conversation with my dear friend and almost sister, Kim at our favorite independent coffee shop.
2. A lunch date with my sweet husband, with great ongoing conversations all day... I miss him with his current work schedule being the opposite of mine.

Cool... I've got bigger day than the 3 today!

Okay, if you're up to it, play along with me... what are your 3BT for today? Remember it's about the moments... not necessarily the big stuff!

...may there be mercy as we see the beautiful things given us this day.

moments

Recently someone gave me a link to a blogger whose entire purpose for the blog is to list three beautiful things that she noticed that day.

It's not quite a gratitude journal, but a noticing of those moments in a day that make your heart smile... those moments that make you laugh... or those really simple little moments that just give you a bit of pleasure in an otherwise mundane day.

My online buddies and I decided that Thursdays would be our 3 beautiful things (3BT) day. Each week on Thursday, during the course of our normal postings to one another, we will include the 3 beautiful things from our day.

Yesterday I was in a ton of pain, so it was kind of hard to play the 3BT game with them. (I've done something to my neck, causing lots of pain and a month's worth of physical therapy... and a diagnosis of probable arthritis already. Ugh! I'm only 47!!!) But I was determined to see those 3BT's and was pleased that I could.

Some days it's so easy to see them. The 3BT turns into an entire day's worth. Yesterday wasn't one of those days! But I did find those moments and thought I'd share them here... because sometimes it's just important to share the simple moments with friends.

Thursday’s 3BT:

1.A moment of sunshine in a very black cloudy day... and the sunshine was warm on my back while I worked at my desk.
2.The sound of excitement in a friend's voice when she heard that I get to meet up with my friends in St. Louis next week.
3.That moment of a first time discovery when I actually figured out what feeling full and not overstuffed was like... way cool.

That third item is a big, big moment for me since I've never been able to figure out the feeling full mechanism in my tummy. I'm taking a class right now on stress/emotional eating issues. One of the things I've figured out about myself is that I actually trained my tummy to never feel full. I did it early in life when I never gained weight and it didn't matter.

But now it matters that I learn how to feel comfortably full. Somehow I managed to work the Weight Watcher's program, lose 50 pounds and never learn the feeling full thing.

Yesterday's moment was one of a great discovery for me!

So today, I'm going to continue watching for my 3BT and see what happens. Sometimes they are big ticket items... sometimes little moments. No matter, they improve my attitude and my spirit.

...may there be mercy as we notice those moments of beauty given to us.