just a touch of grey

my grandmother was a voracious reader...and always a fan of the poets - something she tried to pass along to me.  i've never found much of an affinity although bits and pieces of her favorites have stayed with me.  ts eliot's the wasteland starts with the oft quoted 

april is the cruelest month, breeding

lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

memory and desire, stirring 

dull roots with spring rain.

this phrase has stood out to me in the last few weeks because in this household, april has been the cruelest month - and not for the reasons eliot lists.  its been a really rough month, for reasons discussed here and umpteen undiscussed reasons as well.  However, in the midst of all that cruelty, mourning and anger there have been great moments, moments i tend to overlook during hard times.  

we had a great visit from my in-laws, a wonderful easter weekend, ainsley's first egg hunt  
a visit to the children's museum, a fantastic youth sunday, dinner with member's of j's church, survived a presbytery meeting hosted at my church, celebrated our first child's birthday (maggie turned 4!), got some money back from the federal government, and the weather has been nice enough to play in our local parks.  

just taking time to remember to be thankful for these little things.