Morning Blessings

A cold north wind, buckets full of kindling to get the fire going with out much trouble.  Soon the smoke is dancing and twirling in the wind, dipping down from time to time, past the windows. The air is scented with wood smoke, pine cones and cinnamon from the Apple Cinnamon Garland .  Later in the morning, Yen and I make gingerbread in the shape of a Dala Horse and we decorate them together.  One big one and one little one that is just the right size for a little boy.   There are so many blessings in a day.  A child's laughter, a big hug, seeing the joy in a child's face as he stirs cake batter.  The color of the leaves as they change, the way the leaves dance their way down from the branches on the wind.  Warmth, comfort, and love.  Life is good. 
On a side note, my youngest daughter Melanie is having oral surgery today with a bone graft.  We are all praying everything goes according to plans and she will be home this afternoon with as little discomfort as possible.