Today has been a good day. Father Sky illustrated his summer sky perfectly, blue sky, fluffy white clouds. Oldest brother came by for a porch visit mid-morning. We always talk about our vegetables and our songbird visitors. He always sits in the swing just like daddy did, one leg up in the swing, the other down pushing the swing. Mid-afternoon the sky darkened and rain fell. I sat in the swing enjoying the rain symphony and the refreshing cooler temperature. As the breeze picked up, blowing the raindrops in on me, I crossed the porch to the other swing and sat watching the birds frolicking around the feeders in the rain showers. The showers were fleeting and when the sun popped from behind the clouds the temperature and humidity soared. Gave up porch pondering and came in the house.

I sat in my swing church pew this morning counting my blessings, saying my prayers, as the earth was quiet in her morning prayers. Was wondering where the phrase “count your blessings” originated and I remembered singing the hymn “Count Your Blessings,” in Bible school. The chorus reads, “Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.” Our blessings are so numerous we can’t count all of them. Johnson Oatman, Jr. wrote the hymn in 1897. The well- loved hymn focuses on gratitude. Gratitude is such a important theme for living a Christian life.

I think gratitude can give life a deeper meaning and help us travel on a Godly path. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reads, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” All our blessings are gifts from a loving God. Giving thanks to God for our blessings gives us a grateful heart. Our gratitude can be the sunshine on a cloudy day that needs hope. I think gratitude is based on God’s grace and redemption. God gives us grace, his unmerited favor, and forgives our sins. Gratitude is not a thank you to God. Gratitude is a spiritual response to all the blessings of life. Nick Genovese writes, “Being grateful is a different experience. Being grateful necessitates that we are first affected by one another….True gratitude expresses “thank you” not solely from our mouths but also from our hearts.”

Had a lightning bug in my room last night. I followed it with my eyes till I went to sleep. How many of y’all went to sleep as a child with a Mason jar of lightning bugs sitting on your bedside table? As I was saying my prayers, I was thankful to God for the little lightning bugs that brought me beautiful memories from my childhood and was grateful for the gift of memory.

As I walked out on the porch tonight to take Penelope on her last walk I was thinking about the power of saying goodbye. We say goodbye so many times in our lives. Some goodbyes are complicated, some are heartbreaking, some are exciting. It’s hard, sometimes to find the right words to say goodbye. Sometimes just a hug and a wave says goodbye. The yard symphony is saying goodbye to the day and winding down, the last movement playing out with a train’s lonesome whistle as it rumbles over the tracks.

I love hearing Kenny Rogers’ song, “Goodbye,” such a beautiful tribute written by Lionel Richie. Wish I could memorize the lyrics. Kenny sings it with such emotion. Makes me cry every time I hear it. “Wanted you for life, you and me in the wind. I never thought there’d come a time that I wanted the story to end. It’s hard to understand but I guess I’ll have to try. It’s not easy to say goodbye.”

I remember the afternoon I said goodbye to my parents in the dorm parking lot at Wesleyan College my freshman year. They were excited to be leaving me at Mama’s alma mater. They had dated throughout my mother’s college years and had relived lots of their dating memories helping me get acclimated to Macon. Daddy waved as they drove away. I could see the tears welling up in his eyes. I was so happy with my goodbyes and they were sad with their goodbyes.

Remember Rhett Butler telling Scarlett goodbye with his, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn!” That is a damn good goodbye!

I remember the night Chief and I left on our honeymoon. We were married here in my family home and had enjoyed a formal dinner after the wedding ceremony with family and friends. We were all sitting on the porch and standing around in the yard talking after dinner and someone said, “Y’all better get on your way, it’s getting late.” That was an exciting goodbye as we left and started on our life together. My brother-in-law hugged my neck and whispered, “Bye, I love you.” Such a sweet man. He died 39 days after Chief and I remembered his heartwarming goodbye from that night.

When I flew to England in college I got to the Macon airport and unexpectedly saw my daddy waiting in the airport. I remembering him jokingly saying, “We came to say goodbye in case we don’t see you again.” He thought that was funny, but it kinda scared me. Mama said he was worried about me flying across the ocean.

Goodbyes can be gut wrenching, too. But unprepared as I was to tell Chief goodbye, I sat by his bedside stroking his large callused hands as he took his last breath. I gave him the courage to say his last goodbye.

“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paulo Coelho