The daily grace of priceless gifts

Today was simple: work, eat, rest. Sharing a meal with my chorus brothers (a meal, just a meal) felt like home, where "no one can put you out" (Robert Frost). Earlier today the phone rang and it was my older brother. Speaking with him, about our unremarkable lives, was an exquisite gift that I don't take for granted. For decades Jon and I spoke, at best, a few times a year. Now, almost every other week, we catch up, compare notes, and "look forward" to speaking with one another. He's 3,000 miles away, so I'll take what I can get. I am loved and I am blessed. I love you Jon, more than life itself. "Grant me daily the grace of gratitude, to be thankful for all my many gifts, and so be freed from artificial needs, that I might lead a joyful, simple life." - Edward Hays in A Book of Wonders