Warm but way too wet for me to sit on the porch. Rain coming heavily for the past half hour, pouring on the roof and splattering in puddles at the edges of the house. I think of the leaks in my roof and cringe, see the water in my mind’s eye soaking the rafters and running onto the plywood ceiling of the porch, where I wasn’t able to get plastic.

Yet I am reminded to give thanks for my roof. There are many this morning throughout the midwest waking up without homes after the tornadoes. On this morning of #19 gratitude, I give thanks for every good part of my roof, and safety of every one of family and friends who were in the path of those storms, and every strong heart facing their losses large and small in the tornadoes. I remember and take hold of the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

The day begins, and I have tea and hope to finish editing a novella and get it sent on for ebook formatting. I’m okay!