gratitude

Early Monday morning, I began to smell smoke coming through the vents in our kitchen, and by now, back in our bedroom. I got up early to finish some work, but, first turned our thermostat up.  It was 4:45 a.m.  Evidences of preparation were everywhere: packages to be wrapped for mailing, paper, ribbons, tags were piled all over the dining room table; sacks of throw away papers from my husband’s study to be taken out; half emptied boxes of Christmas decorations.