One thousand gratitudes 686 - 704

 Thank you for chance meetings that should always be risked, even if sometimes they turn out not quite as expected. Our French Canadians friends are being called back to the mother ship next month, so we had Strawberry Land's first (and probably this year's only) barbecue on Friday night. They brought desserts...

 Thank you that we washed all the dishes last night, even if we were grumpy with each other, and now I can plunge straight(ish) into all that marking. Thank you for all that marking. We shall eat on holiday!

 Summer term seems finally to be arriving, even if the boys still wore their winter coats this morning as we cycled and scooted down this morning. Thank you for the wit of Mattman that just grows and grows as he does this year. "May I just scoot on down now, Mum?" Big grin. Thank you for the full-on, high risk, phenomenon of that Jo. I'm sure I'll learn to breathe while watching him sometime soon. Porridge on the back step when I get back. Quiet!

Thank you for the two things that my suns learnt about you from the very start. God always loves you, even when you're bad. The Spirit lives in here (point with both bold hands to your belly button), but then it comes out (move hands as if directing the whole plane to the emergency exits). Thank you for hope to be held on to during a weekend of Pentecost and funerals. Thank you for the wind that blows our windmills round. Everything in the garden is faded and winter-beaten, and nobody much sees the spin. But thank you x