It’s the little things: The skies aren’t gray today! Yes, we have blue skies, sunshine, and a tad warmer temps in Northeast Ohio today. It makes my heart glad.

It’s the little things: Last night we had dinner with some dear friends. She made a great meal, they showed us their new house, and we shared in this latest chapter of their life together.

It’s the little things: I met a new friend this morning and discovered that we both like scrapbooking and Trader Joes and Jesus. Later this afternoon, an old friend stopped at Starbucks and brought me a Cinnamon Dolce Latte – for no reason. She stayed for two hours while we chatted and laughed and listened to music in my living room.

It’s the little things: The kids are home from school and I get to be a stay-at-home mom so I’m here with them. They’re laughing and playing in the sandbox right now. Their laughter is one of my favorite sounds in all the world.

Pretty soon Caleb is going to be too old and “cool” for the sandbox. Our friends won’t always live close enough to stop in with Starbucks or have over for dinner in this independent, transient American culture. And the weather in Northeast Ohio . . . well, it could be raining or snowing tomorrow.

So, for today. For this moment, I’m thankful for a string of little things. I’m thinking that those little things are probably more important than some of the big things we make such a fuss about . . .

So, I’m enjoying blogging a ton and, yet, I haven’t posted anything in a few weeks. At first, I was feeling  . . . well . . . lame. Lame for not posting in days and days. Maybe I’m not a true blogger, I lamented. Maybe I’ve lost the love. Shudder to think, maybe all my grand musings were used up in a few posts. Is that all I’ve got in me?

Certainly not. So, I considered it a bit more. I found that, actually, I just didn’t have anything that I really wanted to write about. There are plenty of people writing and talking these days. About things they probably should keep to themselves. (I can certainly look back over my last 20 adult(ish) years and think of things I wish I could stuff back into my mouth.) Believe me, after watching the Obama/Hilary debate here in Cleveland a week or so ago, I certainly had some thoughts. Again, proof that sometimes we just shouldn’t say the things that we think.

Truth be told, plodding along through the gray days of February in Northeast Ohio during an election year is a little numbing. During a stretch like that, maybe silence really is golden.