It's All in the Attitude

When I woke up this morning I was greeted with the coldest day of the year, or even of the winter. The temptation was to grumble about the cold, but yesterday I had spent part of the day reciting "ice and snow, praise the Lord, frost and chill, praise the Lord." from the canticle said on Sundays in the Liturgy of the Hours. So I was prepared! I began by thanking God that I could stay under the warm covers long enough to say the office of readings and morning prayer, and be thankful for the warm wool army blanket that tops my bedcovers. Then I got to be thankful for warm wool socks, a warm wool sweater, and warm wool hat. I got to be thankful for the sheep who provided the wool, the person who sheared the sheep, the person who washed and carded the wool, the person who sold me the dye, the woman who taught me to spin, my mother who taught me to knit, the people who wrote the books that my knitting patterns came from, and oh the people who fed the sheep (even when it's bitter cold outside). Then I got to go and feed the fire, so I got to be thankful for my husband who brings in the wood (even when he's tired) and who starts the fire in the morning. I got to be thankful for the man who fells the trees and cuts the wood into lengths. Then I went upstairs to the kitchen to start breakfast and do some chores. I got to be thankful for a dryer (so I don't have to hang my clothes out in the cold), a washer, and a dishwasher (even if it doesn't always do a perfect job). I got to be thankful that my mother taught me to bake bread so I had homemade raisin bread to make into toast. I got to be thankful for the people at the American Chesterton Society who sold the mug for my tea that always makes me smile.

By the time I was done, I didn't feel like complaining about the cold at all. Now, having dutifully "tracked" my raisin bread toast, peanut butter, glass of milk, and cup of tea on the points tracker at Weight Watchers, I can go back downstairs and begin spinning some more wool. That way, hopefully by next winter, my son will have a sweater to be thankful for on a cold January day.