I skipped Karen’s day 4 yesterday to write about something else (that I am thankful for).

I love the unexpected kindness.  There is something great about doing something for someone without them asking–even more so when it is a stranger.  We have all heard stories of those how pay at a drive-thru for the person behind them or for someone’s groceries.  These are great moments and they make everyone feel good.

There is also the giving of your coat to the homeless man at the freeway off ramp on a below zero day asking for a dollar.  Or the giving of an extra meal to someone on the street who clearly needs it.  More often than not, we turn our eyes to those in need more often than not and when we do an unexpected kindness it is often towards someone who doesn’t need it.

Not that paying for someone’s $5 coffee at Starbucks isn’t nice, but I now think of what that $ might mean to the person at the free off ramp who is down on their luck. Giving them $5 might be a bit more “unexpected.”

When I was in NY for a conference the summer of 2011, a girl on the train clearly was out of sorts–scrapes on her legs, dirt on her dress, etc and she didn’t have $ for a ticket.  I bought her ticket.  It was the right thing to do.

I was riding our local rail system to the airport one morning and overheard a woman in tears talking about how she couldn’t get her car out of impound because her title was 4 hours away and she didn’t have any money for train ticket home. The bank wouldn’t let her overdraft her account, etc.  She only need $40.  I sat there for a bit and then thought to myself Will I really miss $40?  I gave her $40.  I could see in her eyes a connection to me a human being and that is what an unexpected kindness can do–regardless of the circumstances.

If we need to remember anything, it is that we are all connected.  So, do something nice for someone when they least expect it.

Another prompt from the Wonderful Karen Day 3 to help me through this crazy month of posting everyday.

Cold weather.  I am a hot weather girl for the most part, but there is something so special about fall.  I absolutely adore fall.  It was the season I missed the most during my 10 year of living in Southern California.  The leaves changing gloriously–there is a tree just down the street from my office that has been the most brilliant shade of red for the past week (I know I should totally stop and take a picture of it.).  The nip in the air when you wake up and start the day that slowly transitions into a moderate temperature perfect for sitting outside and watching the kids run around playing football.

I will just say that while I am not a fan of Winter Weather (that bone chilling weather we get here in January and February that feels like knives cutting through you on those windy below zero days is the bane of my existence–thankfully I have a car starter), I love snow.  I love to watch my kids play in the snow and ice skate.

There is something that takes me back to my own memories of childhood–playing in the snow and getting so cold and wet that you had to come inside to dry your clothes and get some hot chocolate and then going back out and doing it all over again.

I don’t mind that bone chilling coldness if I’m out sledding with the kids or having a snowball fight.  Those are the moments when the cold falls away and joy warms your heart.  Ah winter, maybe you aren’t so bad after all.

Day 2 and this one is much harder for me to write about.

Day 2 prompt (courtesy of @chookoloonks):  Today, I’d love if you’d grab your journal and make a list of things that you’re really good at.

I love that Karen calls them Gifts and Superpowers.   At first I laughed a bit then I remember how what I can do sometimes impacts people (namely my children) in significant and important ways.  But it’s not in my nature to think about the things I do well.  Too often we are focused on the things we don’t do well.

So, what do I do well?

I can…

• make an amazing cheesecake and from scratch pie crust.
•  make really great homemade toffee (thanks to Rebecca’s mom).
• fix a boo-boo with a band-aid and a kiss.
• put my kids to be in record time.
•  read a book really fast.
• think outside of the box.
•  cook.
•  take pretty awesome photos.
• pick out a good bottle of wine.

I am also a great listener and friend.

While at first glance, it doesn’t seem like much, I have to say I have some gifts to share.  While this list isn’t inclusive of everything, it is a good reminder of the little things that I have to offer that so often get overlooked.

I just want to thank the amazing Karen for her wonderful idea and prompt.  This is the time of the month when inspiration leaves and I am swamped with work and life.  So, I am happy for any topic idea and I love this idea of 10 days of Thanksgiving.  I feel blessed and lucky everyday.

I feel most blessed when I am sitting at home snuggled up on my couch with a kids on either side of me.  That is home.  Home is my children and my husband.  We are so fortunate to have a good roof over our head (no matter how much work it still needs) that is currently warm.  Yet, the physical structure isn’t what makes it home–its everything else.  It’s my husband, my kids and our pets.  It’s the clothes on the floor after a long day of playing and being together.  It’s the dishes in the sink after a homemade meal where we sit around the table and talk about the best parts of our day.  It’s the balls randomly on the floor after an impromptu game of catch.

I use to wish that our house was cleaner, but then I realized it isn’t because we live in our house.  We have fun in our house.  We do arts and crafts, then cook, then play a game.  Our house is a product of our lives and I wonder what I would have to sacrifice to have a house that matches that of my family and friends who don’t have two active kids who are always busy.  And what I would have to sacrifice isn’t worth it.  If it means less time with my kids (which is already limited because of school and work) then it just isn’t worth it.

Home is my family.  I am so happy to remember that. Because the next time I trip over a ball, instead of cursing, I’ll remember it’s there because we are living together.  And in the grand scheme of things the only thing that really matters is that we are together as a family–not that my house is spotless.  My house gets messy as we make it our home.